Persona 4: Golden Emerald
by StoneMasked Taliesin
Summary: For Souji Seta, all that was supposed to happen was a boring year in the rural town of Inaba. What he didn't excpect was a murder mystery. And that soon becomes the least of his worries. Along with an Emerald eyed girl, can he go through the year and solve the case? - DISCONTINUED-
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Inaba

**Author Note:**

**'Hello there ladies and laddies! Time for our first story!'**

**You're peppy today**

**'Well, duh. It's the first part of a long road ahead. We should do a cheer or something'**

**You can't drink alcohol**

**'Who said anything about alcohol? Come on, you got to be excited'**

**Okay, I admit it, this is pretty cool**

**'Now then, before we bore the audience, let's get on with it. Ahem'**

**The StoneMasked Taliesin doesn't own Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden. The rights to chose belong to their creators at...at...**

**'Atlus'**

**Right. He only owns the original characters and ideas**

**'A good thing too. The boss would never make something as good as that. Now, enough lollygagging! This is the story of Dirt Girl and Suit and Tie's misadventures in Inaba'**

**Join Crystal de Tuthua and Florence de Tuthua as their fates become intertwined with one Souji Seta**

**'And if you haven't read Intermediary Introduction on the Other Side, then you won't understand anything. And you won't know who we are. Shame on you!'**

* * *

**Crystal**

She opened her eyes slowly. Her mind was still in the midst's of sleep . As she woke up, she shook her head vigorously to dispel any remnants of sleep. She looked around the room, and got a clear look of where she was.

Blue. The entire room was blue. It looked like a limousine . To her left was an assortment of beverage bottles. She shook her head again, and rubbed her eyes. It was then that she noticed the person in front of her.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room", the old man in front of her said.

Or, perhaps creepy old man, she thought to herself, because the man was indeed majorly creepy. The top of his head was bald, but he had a fringe of wild white hair on the sides. He had bulging, bloodshot eyes, pointed ears, and a sinister smile. He wore a black suit. But the first thing she noticed about him, was his rather comically large nose. A nose so large that it would put Pinocchio to shame. At any other time, she would have had a fit of laughter at such a ridiculous sight, but the man himself less comical, and far more sinister, and she was still confused as to how she ended up here. So she merely blinked stupidly. Then she became alert.

She tried to call upon her powers, only for them not to respond. She briefly panicked. Something was blocking her! She force herself to calm down. Nothing good would come of panic. She glared at the man.

"Who are you?", she asked, distrustfully.

The man chuckled. "My name", he gestured extravagantly," is Igor. And this place", he gestured to the room around him," exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a place that only those bound by a contract may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the future. Now then, why don't you introduce yourself?"

She continued to glare at him. This only made the man smile wider. " Well, if you won't introduce yourself, then let me go ahead and introduce my assistant".

Hearing this, she realized that there were two other people in the room. She shook her head again. What was wrong with her, how had she not noticed them before?

The first sat next to Igor. She was a beautiful woman with platinum blond hair, and glowing yellow eyes. She was wearing all blue, the same blue as the room, and her face was like a statue, cold and serious.

But she could care less about her , though, because the second person...the second person was her little brother. Except changed. He looked... younger, but she could still tell it was her brother. He was wearing his trademark black suit and blue tie, and he, as always, he had his black hat. He was unconscious, blissfully unaware of what was happening around him.

On seeing her brother, she immediately snapped back to Igor and the woman, and called on her powers, anger blazing in her eyes. They still weren't responding.

"What did you do to him!?", she screamed. She considered reaching over and pummeling Igor with her fists. Igor made a placating gesture.

"Calm down. We merely found you two in this state". She sat back down, but still looked at Igor angrily. He continued. "We have decided to help you", Igor stated. He waved his hand, and two butterflies fluttered on to his hand. They were pure gold in color, glowing with a warm light. The butterflies sat on his hand, until they took off again.

She watched them. She was still wary, but she didn't attempt to stop them. After all, they couldn't do that much, right? The butterfly landed on her, and she clutched her head as pain erupted in her mind. It felt like her brain was being overloaded! On the edges of her consciousness, she heard Igor chuckling. "Now then, it is time for you to depart. We mustn't let our guest wait. Enjoy your year". Before she could say anything, she blacked out.

She woke up on a couch. For a second, she wondered why she was sleeping on a couch, instead of on her bed. Then she remembered that Blue Room, Igor and the woman, and...her brother!

She got up, all semblances of drowsiness gone. She looked around for her brother. Where was he!? She looked around, before finding him sleeping on a sofa. She relaxed slightly, before realizing that her brother still looked younger. She leaned down next to him. " Hey, Florence. Come on, wake up.", she said softly, and shook him.

He opened his eyes sleepily. "Sis..", he said groggily.

She winced internally. Even his voice was younger. He got up. She noticed with half annoyance, half relief, that while he was shorter than usual, he was still taller then her. Other then that, he still looked the same. His skin was still pale, and the black suite that hung loosely on his frame made it look even paler. His bright blue eyes looked at her drowsily.

"Where are we?" he asked he realized what had happened to him.

He yelped and started looking at his now younger body frantically. She put her hands on his shoulders." Calm down!", She ordered.

He did and looked at her. "What happened to me?", he asked her. She had already come up with a conclusion. " Florence, listen to me", she said, looking into his blue eyes," you've been de-aged, like what happened to me in the Other." For a second, her brother looked at her, puzzled. Then, he remembered and let out a soft "Oh".

She pressed on and explained to him about the weird Blue Room and its inhabitants. He remained silent during the explanation, patiently listening. "

Do you remember anything that happened before?", she asked him carefully.

He shook his head. "No. The last thing that I remember was being back on Talis". Darn. That was the last thing she remembered too. She sighed.

" Well, there's nothing to be done about that. Now..", she looked around the house they were in," we find out where we are".

Her brother nodded, and they explored the house. It was small, with only one floor, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. The kitchen and dining room were merged. She found clothes in the cabinets( some of them her own clothes, which was kinda weird, and some that looked like a uniform), and the whole house was stocked full of everything,food, toiletries, accessories, machines. She heard her brother's voice calling her from the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen, and saw that her brother was holding a note. He gave it to her. It was written in some sort of flowing characters. She was about to ask why he was holding it, when she realized she could read the note. Her hand immediately went to her ears. The Babel Tech was still there.

The Babel Tech was a device that her older brother, Isaac, had created. It enabled the user to understand and speak any language. But it didn't allow you to read a language that you didn't know. So how was she able to read the note?

She put her hand to her forehead. How? Then she remembered. "The butterflies!", she exclaimed. "The what?" " The golden butterflies! Whatever they did must have enabled us to read whatever this is!". Saying it, it sounded ridiculous, but weirder had happened to them. She started to read the note.

'_We shall have to keep this brief. You have a role in the upcoming year in the town of Inaba, Japan. What remains to be seen. Failure to perform your role will result in a great calamity for your brother_( at this she glanced at her, who had become a bit paler, but otherwise okay. She gripped the note harder)_ This dwelling is yours. All within is yours to use. You have been enrolled in the local high school which starts tomorrow._

_I wish you the best of luck on your quest._

_Margaret'_

So that was the woman's name.

"Sister...", her brother said. "Don't worry. Your going to be okay", she said. Her brother looked at her, puzzled, before he smiled.

" No. Look at the calendar", he said, pointing behind her.

She looked and saw a calendar. The month read April...and it was blank except for a square circled in, what else, blue marker with neat cursive writing that said 'school starts'. She blinked.

April...Japan...? They sounded familiar...she couldn't place her finger on it...

" We're on Earth".

She blinked and looked at her brother.

"Earth...?"

"Remember? April's a month and Japan's a country on Earth".

Oh. Now she remembered. She cupped her chin and looked at the calendar again. School huh? Wait...school?

"They expect us to go to school!?", she yelled.

She tried to imagine her going to school. She'd never been to one before. Heck, she'd never been to a normal town on Earth during a calm situation. She tried to visualize a school. All she came up with was a single room with a bunch of people reading books. She glanced at Florence, who also looked nervous. She swallowed her own worry and put on a brave face.

"Ah, well I guess we'll just have to go to school tomorrow", she said.

She quickly shooed Florence to bed, saying he needed to sleep, before getting into the bed next to him. Normally, she'd sleep in a different bed, but as for now, she'd rather make sure they were safe. She tried to go to sleep, worry knotting in her gut for tomorrow.

* * *

**Souji**

He had been having a normal day so far. He had boarded the train that was destined for the small rural town of Inaba, where he would live with his uncle and cousin for a year, because of business his parents had to attend to overseas. This was usual in his life. Move somewhere, settle in, and then move again. He didn't particularly care anymore.

As the train got closer to his destination, he thought about the town he would be stuck in for a year. He sighed to himself. It was probably going to be a boring year, he thought to himself.

And how wrong he was.

Before long, he woke up to find himself in a room called the Velvet Room, and was introduced to its two inhabitants, Igor and Margaret. On reaching the Yasoinaba station, he was still mulling it over. It had to be a dream, right?

He was broken out of his musings by a voice calling out his looked around, and saw a middle-aged man waving to him. He walked towards him.

The man was fairly tan, and wore a grey suit. He had a grizzled appearance. Next to him was a small girl, wearing pink clothes , her brown hair in pigtails. The man shook his hand.

"Hello. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. I'm your mother's younger brother, and that's about it. It's nice to meet you".

He then looked at the girl. "And this is my daughter, Nanako. Well Nanako? Go ahead and say hello to your cousin". Nanako didn't look at him, and instead stared at the ground shyly.

" 'lo...", she finally murmured shyly, before hiding behind her father's back.

"What are you so shy about?", Dojima asked Nanako, laughing . In response, Nanako hit him in the back. He smiled.

"Come on, we should get going", Dojima said. He and Nanako left towards the car, and he followed, only to bump into someone.

"Oh. Sorry".

It was a girl about his age, with chin length black hair and grey eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless white shirt and a checkered skirt. She also wore black and white striped stockings and black heeled boots. The girl knelt down to grab something from the ground, before giving it to him.

"Is this yours?", she asked. It was the paper he wrote Uncle Dojima's address on. He nodded.

"Thanks".

"Whatever", she said, before walking away.

"Hey! What's wrong?", Dojima asked from the car. "Nothing", he said, before walking to the car.

They all climbed in, before driving to town. They stopped at the gas station. Nanako went to the bathroom and Dojima went somewhere else. As he went outside, the gas station attendant who was filling the car struck up a conversation with him.

"Hey, you must be new here. You're from the city?", he asked.

He nodded. He supposed that in a small town like Inaba, everyone knew each other.

"Heh. There's not much to do out here for someone like you. You'll get pretty bored soon. Have you considered taking a part-time job? We're hiring".

"I'll consider the offer", he said simply. "Good. We'll be glad to have you", the attendant said, and they shook hands.

The attendant left just as Nanako came back to the car. He suddenly clutched his head in pain. Nanako looked at him worriedly.

"Are you alright? You look kinda dizzy".

As soon as she said that, he realized that he did indeed feel slightly ill. Dizzy and bone tired. He shook his head. He was probably just tired from the long trip. Dojima came back soon after that, and they went to the house.

The Dojima household was a regular two story house. It was late by the time they got home, so they simply had take out for dinner. The news was still talking about the affair involving Governor Nametame, his wife, and the reporter Mayumi Yamano. After dinner, he decided to go to bed early in preparation for school tomorrow. Most of his stuff was already unpacked. He unpacked the rest of it, and lied down on his futon. He slept, hoping for a nice peaceful slumber after the tiring events today.

He was in a foggy corridor.

He shook his head before climbing to his feet. There was nowhere else to go but forward. He eventually came across a door. He walked through it, one hand on the wall. This fog was so thick he could barley see anything.

"Do you seek the truth?".

He froze. The voice continued.

"If it is the truth you desire, come and find me", the voice said.

All the sudden, he felt a weight in his hand, and looked down to see a sword.

"Come on then", the voice said tauntingly.

He glanced at the sword one more time before continuing forward. Eventually he reached a large room.

He squinted.

There was a figure in front of him...It was the source of the voice!

"So you are the one pursuing me. Try all you like, but you will not catch me so easily".

All the sudden a shadowy hand rocketed towards him. He ducked and cut it with his sword, silently thanking himself for taking kendo training.

Another hand rocketed towards him, and he ducked before running at the figure and slashing at it. The figure just floated out of reach, still wrapped in fog.

"If what you seek is the truth, then your search will be even harder".

A flurry of arms came out of nowhere, knocking the sword out of his hand and knocking him to the ground. There was a rumble of thunder, and a large boom. He closed his eyes as his teeth rattled.

He opened his eyes, only to see a large figure standing in front of him protectively. The fog started to deepen. The figure started to laugh.

"Everyone sees what they want to see, and the fog only deepens...Will we meet again in a place other then here? I look forward to it". Before he could do anything, his body became heavy and his vision was engulfed in white.

He woke up and shook his head. What kind of dream was that? It made no sense. He thought over it while getting ready for school. He couldn't remember much of the dream. Something about fog and something else? He shrugged. Oh well. It was just a dream.

He went downstairs, only to find Nanako making breakfast. He was surprised at that. A little girl like her making breakfast and doing the laundry? Talk about impressive, not to mention responsible.

" Oh, hello", Nanako said on seeing him as he sat at the table," Dad's gone to work early".

"You can cook?", he asked. Nanako nodded.

"I can toast bread and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook so I buy dinner".

He didn't know how to respond to this, so they ate in silence for some time, before Nanako looked at him.

" I'll show you the way to your school"

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself like that", he told her. She just smiled.

"My school is on the way to your school, it's fine". No matter how much he insisted, she insisted more, and he couldn't say no. They finished breakfast, and Nanako lead him to his school.


	2. Chapter 2: Yasogami High

**Author Note:**

**'No announcements for today. Commence stupid needed thing'**

**You should be more serious. The StoneMasked Taliesin doesn't own Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden. He only owns the original characters**

**'Roll the chapter'**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Yasogami High**

**Crystal**

She woke up earlier than usual. She slipped out of the bed quietly, so she didn't disturb her brother, before walking outside.

The back of the house was nice and secluded, with high walls that made it impossible for other people to spy. Perfect.

She sat down on the ground, letting the feeling of the earth around her cal her jittery nerves.

Inhale.

They were in a completely different world. No stranger to that.

Exhale.

They were completely cut off from home. Happened a lot.

Inhale.

Her brother was in danger.

Exhale.

And they were expected to stay here for a year.

...Inhale.

And they were supposed to go to a school...

With a violent exhale, she brought a large pillar of stone from the ground, before proceeding to beat it into rubble with her fists. After ten minutes of destruction, she fell to the ground, feeling a bit calmer. Her little brother's meditation techniques never did work for her.

She looked up at the dark purple sky, and at the stars twinkling above. Alien stars. And an alien moon. She looked up at the moon. They didn't have a moon back home. She kinda wanted to see what the Earth's moon felt like...

"Enjoying the grass?".

She glanced up and saw Florence looking at her bemusedly.

"It is pretty cool and comfortable", she said. Her brother laughed.

"You okay?", she asked, sitting up.

"Of course. Just a bit tired...I'm fine sister"

"All I'm saying is that I had the same thing happen to me", she said, before jumping up to her feet.

"I'm going to take a bath. You go ahead and-"

"-look over the school stuff?".

She suppressed her nervousness and shook her head. "Sure".

After a nice warm bath, she headed over to the table, were Florence was looking over a couple of things.

"So?", she asked, peeling one of the oranges on the table.

"Apparently, we are to go to a local high school, Yasogami", he said, pointing to a map.

"You are to be in the second year, while I am to be, well, in the first year".

She blinked, before grinning. "They made you my junior?", she said gleefully. Her brother grumbled. She cackled. "Finally, someone realizes that I'm the older one!".

"Yeah, yeah. School starts at eight. Your homeroom teacher is a Kinshiro Morooka, while mine is a Ms. Soufe".

She popped one of the orange slices, storing the information. "What else?", she asked, chewing the citrus fruit.

"We have a uniform". She blinked. "You mean those things in our closet?", she asked. He nodded. "I hope they let me keep my hat", he said softly. She rolled her eyes.

"Just wear your hat. I know I'm wearing my hair band", she said. She popped the rest of the orange in her mouth, before getting up.

"Well then, let's get ready!", she proclaimed, before walking towards the bedroom.

"Uh, Crystal? School doesn't start for another four hours". She blinked, before clearing her throat.

"Uh, I knew that". Florence chuckled.

"You're nervous" "Am not!".

He just looked at her. "Okay, maybe I am. Obviously, I mean..!"

"Don't worry so much. Just relax", he said, before getting up and going to the bathroom. She stood there for a moment.

Relax, huh? Well, the grass looked rather inviting...

* * *

She looked at herself in the mirror. The uniform was a shirt and a skirt, both a nondescript slate-black color. She was reminded of Annabelle. She smirked. Oh, but how she would've hated this outfit. The redhead was never comfortable wearing anything like a dress. She didn't particularly care. She looked at herself one last time, before adorning her hair with her jade hairband. There, now she was complete. She walked outside, to see her brother at the table, also in uniform, except for his black hat. She sat down and checked the clock. 7:00. She exhaled.

Florence offered her a cup of green liquid. "Tea?", he said. She looked at the cup dubiously, before grabbing it and taking a sip. She recoiled instantly.

"What kind of tea is bitter?", she asked. "This kind apparently. I rather like it", he said, taking another sip while holding a paper in one hand and a map in looked at him, before looking at the vile drink...

She took another sip, trying to ease frayed nerves. "Hey, Florence?" "Yes?" "I have an idea" "Go on" "How bout we not go to this school" "Honestly, you're treating it as if it were an insane asylum" "At least I know what an insane asylum is like. Kind of. How can you be so calm? You've never been to school before!" "I've seen one. And we've read about them" "Seeing doesn't count. Neither does reading. I'm just saying, why are we even going? It's not like anyone is forcing us".

At the moment, a muffled sound was heard from one of the kitchen drawers. They glanced at each other, before she stood up, walking over to the drawer. In one swift motion, she opened it, only to find a small notepad. And in blue ink on the first page..." You are to go to school". Nothing else. She put the notepad back slowly, before walking over to the table.

"Crystal?"

"We're going to school", she said, before drinking the rest of the tea in a single gulp.

* * *

"So, this is the school, huh?", she said, looking at the building. It was...rather average.

At least, she thought it was. They stood there, in front of the gates. At this point, it was raining lightly, and students were walking in to the building, most holding umbrellas. Quite a few of them were looking at them oddly too. What was their problem?

"Still nervous?", Florence asked. In response, she elbowed him.

"I'm kind of nervous myself", Florence said. She looked at him, before grinning. "Ah, don't worry about it. After all, school can't be worse than Mallus, right?", she said loudly. Her brother just chuckled.

They walked inside, and after some questioning, quickly found the faculty office. . Inside, they met a old man with a long white beard, who quickly told them that he was the principle. The principle went on a long winded speech about welcoming them to their school, and explaining about the rich history of Yasogami High School. While her brother paid attention with interest, she just didn't pay attention at all.

After five minutes, she started to suppress yawns. The old man was starting to bore her to death. Then she heard something that got her attention.

" You will be joined by another transfer student from the city. This will indeed be a most interesting year, with two foreign exchange students and a student from the big city", the old man said while chuckling. She blinked.

"Another student?""Oh yes, young lady. in fact, he will be in the same classroom as you"

Just then, the door opened, and a woman wearing an Egyptian mask walked into the room. She raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this Japan?

"Florence de Tuthua?", she asked, looking at a paper in her hand, the other one holding a crook and flail. Her brother nodded, and stepped forward. "You'll be fine", he said, looking at her reassuringly, before following the woman, leaving her alone in the room. She started to look around. Now what?

The door opened, and she glanced at who entered. Another student. The principal immediately walked over to him and started to give the same long winded speech. So this was the other transfer student? She assessed him. He was tall, with a regular, if slightly athletic body. He wore the school uniform with the jacket open. But the most striking features were his bright silver eyes and hair. It was almost like looking at a younger version of Isaac. She wondered how he was doing...She was broken out of her thoughts by the principle.

"-and this young lady is one of our foreign exchange students. She will be in the same class as you". With that, the old man left the office, leaving her alone with the other guy.

Inwardly, she groaned. What a way to be introduced. The boy broke the silence first.

" So your not from Japan?"

"Nope" "Did you live in the United States?". She thought for a second, before replying.

" Our family's lived in a lot of places, but yeah,I've been there once. Why do you ask?". The guy shrugged." I've been there before, so I was wondering If you've been there before" They continued to engage in small talk, while waiting for their homeroom teacher.

* * *

**Souji**

" Your school is straight that way", Nanako said, pointing in front of nodded, and Nanako left for her own school. It was starting to rain, so he took out his umbrella, and started walking straight foreword. There were other students walking along the same path. They were talking about various things, and Souji merely continued to walk straight to school, thinking about nothing in particular. Without anything to think about, his mind started to think about his new school. He wondered what it would be like.

" Woahhh!". He was broken out of his thoughts by someone yelling. He turned around, only to see a student on a bike speed past him. He watched as the out of control bike accelerated... into a wall. He winced. That had to hurt. He watched the guy hobble around in pain. He took a step foreword...and walked past the guy. He should probably get to school.

He stopped in front of the school. Yasogami High. What kind of life student life would we have here? Hopefully a good one. He went inside.

"Excuse me, do you know where the office is?", he asked a girl hanging out in the hallways. "Hmm? Oh, its over in that direction", she told him. He thanked her and walked to the office. As he walked into the room, an old man with a long white beard greeted him, and started to give a small speech. He listened to it with concealed boredom.

"...And this young lady is one of our foreign exchange students. She will be in the same class as you. Now then, I have matters to attend to. I hope you will enjoy your time at our wonderful school".

With that, the principle left the office. The two of them stood in silence for awhile. He looked at the girl. She was slightly short, with an athletic build, and had short black hair with a green headband. The most eye catching feature were her eyes though. The were a vibrant emerald green in color.

The silence was starting to become unbearable, so he decided to break it. "So your not from Japan?", he asked her.

"Nope", she said, her Japanese almost perfect. He hid his surprise, and kept the conversation going. "Did you live in the United States?"

" Our family's lived in a lot of places, but yeah, I've been there. Why do you ask?". He shrugged his shoulders." I've been there before, so I was just wondering if you lived there".

They continued to talk for a while, while waiting for their homeroom teacher. Eventually, ten minutes passed. The girl growled.

"What's taking them so long?", she asked, annoyed. He was getting annoyed, too. The girl was about to say more, before the teacher showed up. His first thought on seeing him was _'You've got to be kidding me'_.

The teacher was a man, who didn't exactly look...flattering. He didn't look like a teacher at all. He wore a blue suit, which clashed terribly with his putrid yellow tie. His hair was combed over in such a way that it looked like something had died on his head. A vein throbbed in the teacher's temple, and coupled with the permanent angry sneer, made it look like he would explode at any moment. And his teeth. His teeth stuck out at odd angles in a large overbite, and would give any dentist nightmares until their dying days.

" So you brats are the new students, eh? Follow me". His voice was rough and loud. He wondered if he was already doomed before the school year started. They followed him, the girl walking in front of him. They reached classroom 2-2. "Well then? Come on", the teacher told them. With a sigh, he entered the classroom. This year was just going to be great, he could already tell.

* * *

She groaned. Of all the classes, she had ended up in the class of the dreaded Mr. Morooka, otherwise known as King Moron. Of all the teachers in the school, he was the strictest and most unpleasant, outright insulting anyone he disliked(which were a lot of people). Though it wasn't all bad. At least Yukiko, was in the same class as her again.

" Hey, did you guys hear? There are going to be transfer students in this class!", a girl said. Transfer students? " I hear one of them is from the city", the girl continued.

"Hey, a transfer student from the city. Just like you, huh Yosuke?", she said. She turned around, only to find Yosuke slumped over his desk, as if dead. "What's wrong with you?", she asked him.

His only reply a pained groan. "I don't wanna talk about it...".

She looked at Yukiko, who was sitting in front of her, who only gave her a confused shrug. The door opened, and King Moron entered the room, followed by 2 students. Everybody quickly became quite and sat at their desks. While they might of called him King Moron, they still feared him. It wasn't quick enough for King Moron though.

"Everybody shaddup and listen!", he yelled. "My name is Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from this day forth".

* * *

**Souji**

The more he stayed near the man, the less and less he liked him. Everything about him was irritating. Both he and the girl were on either side of the teacher.

"My name is Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from this day forth". Mr. Morooka slowly glared at the whole class. "Now let me get this straight. Just because it's spring, doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love struck baboons! I expect all of you to be as pure as the driven snow. So don't even try any of that cutesy funny stuff". The class gaped at him, trying to comprehend everything that had just been said. They had known that he was bad, but not this bad.

"Now, I hate to waste my time, but I guess I better introduce these two", he said, looking back at them. "These two losers have been dumped into the middle of nowhere like yesterdays garbage". He narrowed his eyes slightly. Mr. Morooka glared at him. "This guy was just as much of a loser as he was in the big city, so don't you ladies get any ideas about hitting on him". His eyebrow started to twitch as he regarded the teacher calmly. Mr. Morooka turned to the girl. "And none of you boys better get any idea's about hitting on her!". He looked at the girl, who seemed very confused.

"Now then, introduce yourselves". For a moment, it was silent enough to hear a pin drop. He looked at Mr. Morooka, before opening his mouth.

"Are you calling me a loser, Sir?", he asked in a monotone voice. At the same time, the girl opened her mouth. "You calling me a loser?". He looked at the girl in surprise. She was smirking. Mr. Morooka had been stunned into silence, and the rest of the class gaped at them in awe. He turned back to the class.

"My name is Souji Seta. It's nice to meet all of you", he said with a bow. He glanced at the girl. She was still smirking. One hand one her hip, and pointing at herself with her thumb, she loudly proclaimed, "My name is Crystal de Tuthua!".

The class continued to look at them in shock. No one talked to Morooka like that. Mr. Morooka shook himself out of his stupor, and looked at them with a glare that could kill.

"Why you little-! That's it, you two are on my shit list, effective immediately". He rolled his eyes. No doubt that was a very long list. Mr. Morooka's face darkened.

" Now listen up! This town is miles away from big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You'd better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them. That's the problem with you brats today. No respect for your elders. Always on your phones, with your...". Mr. Morooka went on a long winded speech about youth today. He was starting to get tired of standing up here.

"Um...Excuse me! Is it alright of the transfer student sits here?". He and Morooka turned, staring at a girl who was wearing a green sport-coat. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Hear that punk? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown", Mr. Morooka said with a sneer.

He smiled politely and quickly walked down the aisle, slipping into the empty desk happily. The less he had to interact with that man...

"He's the worst, huh?". He blinked in surprise, looking at the girl next to him. Her sandy-brown hair was cut in a bowl-cut style, framing her kind looking face and friendly brown eyes. She continued. "Rotten luck being stuck in King Moron's class...We'll just have to hang in there for a year, huh?" He nodded slowly, not sure what to say. He hadn't expected anyone to talk to him so soon.

"As for you..." 'King Moron' said, scanning the class, "You sit next to Hanamura", he said, pointing to the desk behind him. He said the name with obvious displeasure. A quick look behind him revealed a boy sitting face-down on his desk. "Hanamura! Get up!", King Moron yelled. The boy immediately sat up, looking at Morooka fearfully. "Yes sir!", he yelped. He realized that it was the same guy who had crashed his bike earlier this morning. The girl, Crystal, just rolled her eyes and walked down the aisle confidently, taking a seat next to the boy.

"Now then, the rest of ya shaddup and listen!", Morooka yelled, quieting down the class instantly. This was going to be a long day...

* * *

**Crystal**

She sat down in her seat. People around her were whispering, but she just ignored them. She was more annoyed about the teacher. Teacher? Hah. This man was nothing like a teacher. Her brother was more of a teacher in his pinky finger than this man! She glanced at her deskmate, who was again facedown on the desk. He had tawny hair, and wore headphones around his neck.

"Are you okay?", she asked. "Not...particularly", he said boy was silent for a moment, before speaking again.

"I gotta say, you have some guts, standing up to King Moron like that". She snorted. "King Moron? That's his nickname?", she said with a soft chuckle. A most fitting nickname. She would have said more, but King Moron yelled at the class to be quite. She sighed. She really hoped her brother was doing better than her.

* * *

**Florence**

He stood in front of the class, looking at all of them. Most of the class were staring at him curiously, except for a large guy with spiked blonde hair. "My name is Florence de Tuthua", he said calmly, "It is a pleasure to meet you all".

* * *

**Souji**

How he got through the day, he didn't know. He sighed with relief when the bell rung. Listening to King Moron's lectures was a nightmare on it's own.

"Now then, your regular classes will begin tomorrow", King Moron said, moving to leave. He couldn't begin to imagine what normal classes were like. The intercom suddenly crackled to life, stopping Morooka in his tracks.

"All staff members are to report to the office. All students will remain in their classes until further notice". Morooka scowled. "You heard, now siddown and stay here!", he ordered the class. As he left, people crowded around the window, trying to see through the thick fog outside, as sirens wailed outside. He frowned. Those sounded very close...had something happened?

"I wonder what that was about", he said aloud. "Beats me", Crystal said with a shrug, leaning back in her seat. Besides him, the sandy haired girl was talking to a raven haired girl about rainy nights. He looked up as the intercom crackled to life again.

"All students pack up, call your parents or guardians, and go home immediately. There has been an incident within the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the area. Stay calm and do not disturb the officers. Head directly home. I repeat...". The rest of the announcement was drowned out as the students began talking in an uproar.

"An incident!?", a boy said, sounding far too exited over something that sounded very serious. "I wonder what happened?", a girl near his desk asked. "Let's go check it out", her friend said.

He frowned. Was this place so dull that a single incident could cause this? They were like spectators around a car crash. Behind him, Crystal sighed.

"Finally. That felt like forever".

He reached for his bag and got up, only to hastily step back as he almost crashed into his desk mate and the raven haired girl. His desk mate looked at him quizzically. "Hey, are you walking home by yourself?". He nodded. The girl smiled friendlily. "Why don't you come with us? Oh! I almost forgot. I'm Chie Satonaka. I sit next to you. You know that, right?". He nodded. He hoped he would.

"Heh, thought so". Chie gestured to the raven haired girl beside her. "This is Yukiko Amagi. She sits in front of me, across from you". He nodded again. Yukiko smiled faintly, looking at him apologetically.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry that this is so sudden". Chie pouted, waving a hand around. "Don't apologize, it makes me look like I got no upbringing. So, what do you say?", she asked, turning to him.

He contemplated the choice for a seemed friendly...and it would be nice... "I'd like that, thank you", he told her. "Woohoo! Awesome! Let's go then", Chie said happily, turning around.

They started moving towards the door, but where interrupted by a guy who walked up to Chie. It was the same boy from the morning. He had unkept tawny hair, brown eyes, and wore orange headphones around his neck. He was holding a DVD case, looking at Chie nervously. He looked ready to bolt.

"Miss Satonaka...", he said uncertainly. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved and stuff. And...well...please have mercy until my next paycheck!", be said, giving Chie the DVD and bowing deeply. "S-Seeya, thanks", the brunette said with a faint smile, before running away.

"What the-? Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!?", Chie cried, running towards him. Everyone in the vicinity winced at what happened next. *CRUNCH*. Today was just not this guy's day.

Both he and Yukiko walked up to the both of them. Chie was staring at the contents of the box in horror, while the brunette was hobbling in pain. "Wh...I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My 'Trail of the Dragon'! How could you!", Chie wailed.

"I think mine's cracked too...C-Critical hit to the nads", the boy groaned. "A-Are you alright...?", Yukiko gasped, looking at Yosuke with concern. "Oh...Yukiko-san. A-Are you worried about me?", the boy said with a pained smile. This didn't go unnoticed by Chie.

"He's fine. Come on Yukiko, lets go already!", she said, storming out of the door. Yukiko followed her friend, and Crystal walked up to him. "Do you think we should help me?", she asked, looking at the boy. He looked at the guy, who was hardly fine. But...there wasn't anything he could particularly do.

"Nah. Let's go". After some hesitation, Crystal followed him.

* * *

**Crystal**

She followed Souji quickly. Her first day of school, and she was already regretting it. She kind of felt sorry for her desk mate though. They caught up to Green and Red. Green looked at her in surprise.

"Oh, hey. My name is Chie Satonaka. And this is Yukiko Amagi", she said. Chie looked at them for a while.

"Do you two know each other?", she asked. Souji shook his head. "No. What makes you think that?", she asked. Chie smiled. "Well, you seem to hang out a lot".

She kinda had a point. "I'm going this guy here because I know him. And now I know who you two are too", she said.

"So you do know each other".

"No. We just met today", Souji said.

She found her brother waiting for her at the lockers. "Crystal!", he called out. She waved back. "Who's that?", Chie asked. "My brother", she said, walking over to him.

"I see you've made a few friends", he said. "I guess", she said. Florence turned to everyone else. "Hello. I'm Crystal's...younger brother", he said. She rolled her eyes at his hesitation to say younger. She was the older one, no matter what he said.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Chie Satonaka. This is my friend Yukiko Amagi", Yukiko waved, "And I guess you're our Kohai, huh?". Florence shrugged. "Nice to meet you. I'm Florence". Florence looked at Souji.

"...Souji Seta", Souji said after a while. Florence looked at him for a while, before nodding his head. "Nice to meet you".

They walked out of the school, and she was talking to her brother when someone walked up to Yukiko.

She knew it wasn't nice to judge by appearances, but on first sight, she was creeped out by him. He had messy black hair, a beauty mark under his left eye, and large fish like eyes. She looked at him warily.

"H-Hey Yuki", he said, staring at Yukiko, "You wanna go out somewhere?", the boy asked nervously. Yukiko looked at the boy in surprise.

"H-Huh? W-Who are you?". She sensed Chie tense up next to her. She heard muttering and looked behind her to see a small crowd of people. One of them was talking about some sort of 'Amagi Challenge'. What did that mean?

"Well, are you coming or not?", the boy asked impatiently. Yukiko shook her head. "No. I'm not going anywhere". "...Fine!", the boy said loudly, before running away. "What in the world did he want from me?", Yukiko asked, voicing her own thoughts.

"You didn't know?", Souji asked incredulously. Chie was also incredulous.

"He was obviously asking you out on a date". She blinked. Was that what he was doing? She always thought that one was supposed to be more...tactful when doing that.

"Oh" "You really didn't know that? Sheesh, your going to get kidnapped if you remain that oblivious. But still, it was creepy how he called you Yuki all of the sudden!".

"Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh Yukiko-san?", her desk mate's voice said.

She turned to see him with a bike, seemingly perfectly fine. That was impressive, bouncing back from something like that in such a short time.

"Yeah, I remember when you got me the same way last year", he said with a sigh.

"I don't recall ever doing something like that".

"Whoa, really? Than do you want to go hang out somewhere?", he said, flashing her a brilliant smile while winking. "I would rather not".

Her desk mate's face fell immediately. "That'll teach me to get my hopes up". Her desk mate got on his bike.

"Don't bother the transfer students too much", he said, cycling away. "We're just curious is all!", Chie yelled at him. Then she noticed the small crowd behind them. "Oh, come one let's go! People are starting to stare".

* * *

**Florence**

They walked away from the school leisurely. He looked at the riverbank while the others talked.

"So, why'd you come here to Inaba?", Chie asked Souji. Souji shrugged. "My parents had a business deal to take care of overseas, so they sent me here. It's as simple as that".

While Souji's tone was lighthearted, he felt a pang of bitterness. He sighed. With his powers weaker, he couldn't sense peoples emotions nearly to the extent he used to. In fact, everything about this affliction irked him, from his change in stature, his newfound clumsiness, and his weaker powers especially. He couldn't imagine how his sister dealt with it when it had happened to her. But the question was, how did this happen? He had no idea. His thoughts were broken by Chie.

"What about you guys? Why did you come here?".

"Our older brother had some work to do, and since he couldn't take us with him, he sent us to stay here", her sister said, the lie said easily. "What about your parents?" Souji asked. Crystal shrugged.

"Gone".

He winced. Apparently, his sister hadn't realized that that didn't sound particularly good. Souji, Chie, and Yukiko were silent for a moment. "Oh. I'm sorry", Souji said softly. Crystal looked at him oddly. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything". Eager to change the subject, Chie started to talk about Inaba.

"There isn't much to do around here in Inaba. I mean, that's what's nice about it, but we don't have anything to show people from outside. I think our pottery or dyed clothes are famous though", Chie mused. "Oh! There's also the Amagi Inn. Yukiko's family owns it. It's the pride of Inaba!".

"It's just an old inn...", Yukiko said quietly.

"Nonsense! It's been in all sorts of Magazines as a hidden treasure".

"That's pretty impressive", Souji said. He agreed. It sounded impressive.

"So...", Chie began slyly, "you guys think Yukiko's kind of cute, don't you?".

Both Souji and himself were caught off guard. Souji scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'd rather not answer that".

He on the other hand quickly looked away. His sister started to laugh. "She's really popular, but she's never had a boyfriend. Weird huh?".

Yukiko broke into the conversation, flustered. "T-That's not true, that I'm popular, or that I've never had a boyfriend!". She backpedaled on realizing what she had just said. "No wait! W-What I meant to say was that I don't need a boyfriend!". Yukiko's face was as red as her cardigan.

His sister and Chie started to laugh again. "Sorry, sorry", Chie apologized cheerfully, "it's just that you haven't said a word this whole conversation". He smiled at the two friends antics, before noticing something in the distance.

It was a small crowd of people, and what looked like...police officers? "Hey guys...", he said, pointing to the crowd. Everyone else noticed the crowd too.

"What's going on?". They walked towards it, and as they got closer, they started to catch snippets of the conversation.

"Something like this, happening here?"

"You just missed it, the police took it away"

"Still, I can't believe it. A dead body, showing up here of all places?".

He froze at the word dead body. Chie shared his sentiment. "A dead body?", she asked uneasily. All of the sudden, he saw a grizzled middle aged man moving towards them.

"What are you students doing here?", the man asked.

The man's eyes suddenly widened when he saw Souji, and he felt a flash of surprise. "What are you doing here?", the man asked Souji. "You know this guy?", his sister asked.

"Yeah. This is my uncle. I'm staying with him for the year. And we were just leaving from school", Souji directed the last part to the man. "Damn principal, I told him not to let them out this way", Souji's uncle grumbled, before shaking his head and looking at them.

"My name is Dojima, and...how should I say this...I hope you get along with him". He was about to say more, but a young man in a black suit ran past them, and vomited on the side of the road. Dojima was less than pleased. .

"Damn it Adachi! Stop acting like a rookie, or else you'll be sent back to Central!", Dojima yelled at the young man angrily.

"Sorry...", the young man, Adachi, said, heaving. He had dark hair, and wore a black suit with a long white sleeved shirt, with a crooked red tie. The young man got up, still green around the gills, and walked back to the crime scene. "Anyway, you guys should get going", Dojima told them, before leaving. For a moment, everyone was silent.

"Uh, Yukiko? Maybe we should go to Junes some other day...Anyway, see you guys tomorrow". After saying their goodbyes, they all left for their separate destinations.

* * *

**Crystal**

She sat down on the sofa, downing her flask of water. Her brother plopped down next to her, panting.

"You got weaker", she said bluntly. Florence glanced at her blandly.

"You think?" "Just saying".

She got up and walked over to the stove, grabbing a pack of instant noodles. She didn't want to cook anything-especially without Jenny to supervise her. She kinda wished the girl was here right now. She could always cheer up any situation. Florence walked into the kitchen after a while and started to help out. They sat down in the living room, in front of the small television.

"And now our story about a bizarre death in the Inaba region. Television reporter Mayumi Yamano was found hanging upside down on a television antenna. Police are still not sure of the cause of death, nor do they know whether it was an accident or a homicide." She snorted.

"Yes, because it's possible to accidentally die and hang upside down from an antennae".

Her brother's face became thoughtful. "I wonder what happened to her?". "Knowing us, we're going to figure out soon enough", she said, slurping down her noodles.

"Ready for another spar?", she said, glancing at her brother. He finished of the last of his food and nodded.

"Sure".


	3. Chapter 3:The Midnight Channel

**'Welcome back to the story. Now with less blocky text'**

**It's your fault for not activating the formatting tool correctly**

**'So I didn't press the button. Big deal. It's fixed now. I also pressed the auto-copyright announcement'**

Persona 4 belongs to it's creators at Atlus. All we own are the original ideas and characters.

**'Works like a charm. Commence story'**

* * *

**Chapter 3:Junes and the Midnight Channel**

**Souji**

He expected his morning to be normal. What he didn't expect was a bicker veering past him at breakneck speeds. He watched calmly as the bike rushed past him, before crashing into a winced before walking towards the poor sap. The bicker was currently stuck in a trashcan, rolling around. He watched the bicker roll around for a while, before taking pity.

He pulled the biker out of the can and helped him up, before realizing it was the same guy as before.

"Thank you so much", he said with a sigh, before looking at him in surprise.

"Hey, your the transfer student from the city aren't you?".

He nodded.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you. My name is Yosuke Hanamura. You can just call me Yosuke", the bicker said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too". The shook hands and started walking. Eventually, the topic of the murder came up.

"You heard about the murder yesterday, right? What kind of sick person would hang someone from an antenna? Then again, you have to be pretty twisted to murder someone in the first place". Yosuke was about to say more, before he took a look at his watch.

" Oh crap, we're going to be late! You wanna ride? The bike may be a little squeaky, but it should be fine". Against his better judgment, he got on the bike, and they got to school on time without any major incident.

* * *

After surviving King Moron's long winded, though surprisingly illuminating class on philosophy, the bell rang, and thus another day of school was over. Yosuke had gotten up to stretch.

"So, how's Inaba?".

He considered the question carefully.

"It's nice, I guess. Still getting used to it" "Yeah, I mean you just got here. There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there's that certain something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great. Oh, you know what the local delicacy is?". He shook his head. Yosuke smiled. "It's grilled steak! Like that's anything special! We can go get some later, I know a place that sells them for cheap". As if drawn by the world, Chie popped out of nowhere.

"Hey, what about for me? No apologies for my 'Trail of the Dragon'?" "Ugh. You always come around when I talk about food...", Yosuke groaned. "What about you Yukiko? don't you think he should treat us too?". Yukiko shook her head. "I'll pass", she said, getting up, "I don't want to gain anymore weight. I have to help out at the inn today anyway"

"Wow Yukiko-san! You already started training to take over the business?" "It's not like that, I'm just helping when it gets busy". With that Yukiko said goodbye, before leaving.

"What about you Crystal? Don't you think Yosuke should treat me to some stea-", Chie said, before stopping. He turned and saw that Crystal was nowhere to be found. She must have left while they were talking. Chie turned to him. "What about you Souji? Should Yosuke treat us to some steak?". He shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, why not?"

"Wait, what?".

"Let's get going", Chie said happily, ignoring Yosuke's complaints.

* * *

They were at the food court in Junes, a large department store. Chie was less than amused.

"They don't serve grilled steak here", Chie complained.

"Yeah, well once you got on the freeloader wagon, I had to change plans".

Chie sat down at the table with a huff. Yosuke came back with drinks.

"Anyway, here's to Souji. Welcome to Inaba". They all toasted.

"What's the occasion?". He blinked in surprise and looked behind him to see Crystal right behind him, looking at them in interest. He suppressed his surprise. Yosuke and Chie on the other hand...

"What the-!"

"Huh!?"

Crystal looked at the two of them in surprise.

"What's wrong?".

"What's wrong? You just appeared out of thin air!", Yosuke said.

Crystal blinked owlishly. "I was shopping when I saw you guys here, so I decided to say hi". He looked at what she was holding. A bag of food and a thick cookbook.

"Oh, Do you cook?", he asked.

"Not much, but I might as well learn right? What about you?"

"I like cooking, so I'm kinda good".

"Maybe you can help me then", Crystal said glumly, before shaking her head. "I got this cookbook though. This place has everything".

"Yeah, I haven't been to the local shopping district since Junes opened", Chie started, before suddenly stopping, glancing at Yosuke. Yosuke frowned.

"Come on, you can't blame it all on Junes, can you?", he asked. Yosuke turned to him. "I guess you don't know do you? My family isn't the most wanted here, because some of the smaller business's are getting less business". Yosuke shook his head. "Anyway, like I said before, Welcome to Inaba", Yosuke said, before getting up.

"Oh. I should probably welcome you too", he said to Crystal. Crystal looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink. It's on the house". Crystal shook her head.

"You don't need to do that"

"Nonsense. Come on".

Yosuke lead Crystal away, leaving him with Chie.

* * *

**Crystal**

"Here you go".

She took the cup of drink from Yosuke.

"Welcome to Inaba", he said with a smile.

She looked at the cup dubiously before sipping the straw. Immediately her mouth was filled with a sweet bubbly substance. She took a long sip.

"Thanks", she said.

Yosuke was about to say something, before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait here", he said, before walking away quickly. She watched as he walked up to a girl with long, wavy, light brown hair. He started to talk to her animatedly, but she was too far away for her to here. After a while, the girl walked away with a smile, and Yosuke came back, grinning like a maniac.

"Something good happen?", she asked.

"Huh? Oh, not much", Yosuke said, shrugging and acting nonchalant.

"Don't lie to me", she said with a grin, while they walked back to the table.

"Okay, okay. I might have gotten a movie date with Saki-senpai", Yosuke whispered. Unfortunately for him, Chie heard.

"Oh really? So you finally asked her?", Chie said teasingly.

"Wait, wha-!"

"The daughter of a local family liquor store and the scion of an invading chain. The flames of forbidden love!", Chie sighed dramatically. Souji snorted, before sipping his drink.

"Come on, it's not like that!", Yosuke said quickly.

"Oh really. Well, I know a way to test that. Ever heard of the Midnight Channel?".

They shook their heads.

"Well, if you turn on your TV at midnight on a rainy night, your supposed to see your soulmate".

"That's a bit farfetched, isn't it", Souji asked.

"Yeah, do you really believe that kind of stuff?", Yosuke added.

"Well, it's raining tonight, so let's all try it!".

"You mean you haven't tried it out yourself?".

Chie ignored Yosuke's question. "All of you better do it tonight, okay?".

They nodded. "Good", Chie said satisfied, sipping her drink.

* * *

After eating another dinner of noodles, she stayed in the living room. Her brother had already gone to bed a few minutes ago after staying outside for a while. She turned on the TV at 11:30. To pass the time, she took out her cookbook, reading through the recipes. She sighed. This was no use. She continued to read though.

She closed her book at five to midnight. She stared at the TV. After a while, she was starting to doubt the whole thing. Then the clock struck midnight, and the TV suddenly flickered to life. She sucked in a breath of surprise.

The figure on the TV was blurry and grainy, but is was most definitely a girl. Her soulmate was a girl? But, she couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't it. She looked harder, the figure seemed familiar...but she place her finger on it. The clock struck 12:01, and the figure disappeared, leaving her to wonder what exactly happened.


	4. Chapter 4: Enter The TV

**'Hello, welcome back everybody. Without further ado, let's begin. Hit it machine!'**

The StoneMasked Taliesin doesn't own Persona 4. Atlus does. He only owns the original characters and ideas

**'This thing is very useful, isn't it?'**

**It is rather useful**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Enter the TV**

**Souji**

His morning walk to school was not nearly as peaceful as before. He was too busy thinking about what happened yesterday night. To his surprise, the Midnight Channel actually worked. And he had almost gotten swallowed by his TV. That had also happened. Which left him with a question-How the hell had he put his hand in the TV? He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone calling him at first.

"Hey, Souji, wait up!".

He turned around, and Chie ran under his umbrella.

"Sorry, I don't have my umbrella anymore, so I hope you don't mind".

He raised an eyebrow. "What happened to your umbrella?".

She hesitated. "Well...I was watching a kung-fu movie yesterday, and I tried to copy one of the moves in it with my umbrella, but...I broke both the umbrella and the shogi".

He resisted the urge to laugh and instead just smiled, shaking his head. They walked for a while, before Chie suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?".

"W-Well, we're really close right now...", he had noticed that, "so I think I'll just run ahead", she said hurriedly.

He internally smirked. He knew exactly why she had said that, so he decided to have some fun.

"Okay then, let's race!", he said with a grin.

Chie looked at him in a mixture of confusion and shock. "Huh? There's no need for both of us to get drenched"

"Which is exactly why you should stay under the umbrella", he said seriously. Chie looked at him for a moment, before smiling.

"Okay". And so they continued to school.

Yosuke approached him after school, with an uncharacteristically serious face.

"Hey, um...Well it really isn't important, but...last night on TV...", Yosuke struggled to find words. Just then, Chie appeared.

"Hey Yosuke, did you hear the rumors? Apparently Saki-Senpai was the one who found the body".

"Really?", Yosuke asked, surprised," Maybe that's why she was so down yesterday".

At this point, Yukiko, who had been packing up, got up to leave.

"Are you going back to the inn?", Chie asked her. Yukiko nodded.

"Yeah".

As Yukiko left, he noticed that her shoulder's were slumped. Apparently Yosuke noticed too.

"Yukiko-san seems more tired than usual". "They must be running her ragged", Chie said with concern.

She turned to them. "So...did you see 'it' last night?", she whispered.

"If you mean the Midnight Channel, then yes", Crystal said matter-of-factly, leaning in her chair behind him.

"You saw it?"

"Yup"

"What about you guys?", Chie asked Yosuke and himself.

"Yeah, I saw it"

"Me too".

"What about you?", Yosuke asked Chie. She pursed her lips.

"Yeah, I saw a girl with shoulder length hair. I think she was wearing our school uniform...But what does that mean? My soulmate's a girl?"

"Hey that's the same thing I saw!", Yosuke exclaimed.

"Me too", Crystal chimed in.

Chie looked confused. "Wait, you guys saw the same image? Does that mean we share a soulmate?".

"Isn't that against the rules?", he said dryly.

"What about you? What did you see?", Chie asked him. He hesitated. Should he tell them about what had happened yesterday? Against his better judgment, he decided to tell them.

For a minute, they were silent. Then, Chie made a sound in between a snort and a laugh.

"What?", he asked flatly, knowing fully well how absurd he sounded.

"Weird voices aside, what was that part about the TV? You must have fallen asleep, huh?".

Chie was now fully laughing.

"I like the part where you got stuck because your TV was too small. Very realistic".

He looked at Crystal, who had been oddly silent during the whole story. He was surprised to see that she was looking at him thoughtfully.

"Speaking about TVs, I was thinking about buying a new one, so I can watch my kung-fu movies"

"Well you're in luck. Junes is having a sale in the electronics department".

Yosuke turned to him. "Maybe they'll have a TV that you can fit in", Yosuke said jokingly. He glared at him. Yosuke and Chie continued to chuckle on the way out of the class.

* * *

Florence was waiting by the shoe lockers. He followed them out of school. They walked to Junes, Chie and Yosuke talking, while the others remained mostly silent. He glanced at Crystal. She still had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What about you?", he asked her.

She looked at him, startled.

"Huh?"

"Do you believe me?".

He knew it wasn't a dream, no matter how weird it was. She looked at him for a moment.

"Maybe"

"You actually believe me?", he said, surprised.

"Well, we won't know until we try it out, yeah?", she told him.

Florence interrupted their conversation.

"What are you guys talking about?".

He told him. All Florence said was a thoughtful "hmm". As they entered Junes, he wondered why they believed him.

* * *

"Here we are", Yosuke announced.

True to his word, there was a sale in the electronic department. They stood in front of a giant flat screen TV.

"Wow, that is one huge TV!", Chie exclaimed.

Chie and Yosuke glanced at each other, before going up to the TV and tapping the screen.

" Nope, can't go in", Chie said with a grin.

"Go to hell", he muttered, though he was smiling.

"Though, you would just go out the back, since it's a flat screen", Yosuke said jokingly.

Both Chie and Yosuke laughed. Then, Chie saw the TV's price tag.

"What kind of person would buy this!? I can't afford it!"

"I should have asked you what you meant by cheap. How about that one over there?", Yosuke said, guiding Chie to another, smaller TV.

Crystal prodded him with her elbow.

"What?"

"Well? Let's see if you can go inside", she said, gesturing to the TV.

"We won't know for sure if it's possible unless you try", she said, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.

He nodded, and walked up to the TV. Would it really work? He reached out and put his hand on the TV screen...and watched as his hand disappeared into the TV. Crystal and Florence were on his side instantly.

"Woah", was all they said.

At this point, both Chie and Yosuke noticed that his hand was inside of the TV.

"What are you doing!?"

"How are you doing that!?".

Ignoring them, he turned to Crystal.

"I'm going to see what's inside".

Ignoring Chie's hushed yell of "Don't do it!", he went inside.

* * *

What was the inside of a TV like? Surprisingly spacious. And very empty. All the sudden, he felt something stir next to him.

"Huh. Kind of expected more".

He glanced to see Crystal right next to him.

"I didn't expect it to be this empty".

"What do you mean empty!?", they heard Chie yell, though her voice was distorted.

Yosuke started to yell about the bathroom or something. He ignored them and looked deeper into the TV, trying to see past the fog.

"Can you see anything?", Crystal asked.

"Nope. You?"

"Absolutely nothing".

He suddenly heard a yell from outside, felt something collide against him, and he fell into the TV with everyone else.

* * *

**Florence**

He hit the ground. Hard. Ignoring the pain, he got up and looked around. All he saw was thick fog. And everyone else sprawled around the ground. His sister had fared the fall the best, curling into a ball and rolling on the ground before springing back up. Everyone else...

"Gah!"

"Chie, could you please get off me?"

"Yosuke. Move your hands. Now!".

Yosuke paled, before scrambling off of Chie, who in turn leapt of Souji, who calmly got off the ground.

"W-Where are we? There's nothing like this in Inaba, is there?".Chie's voice echoed.

"Hell no!", Yosuke said.

"Where ever it is, it's pretty big", his sister noted.

"It kind of looks like a studio...", Souji said uncertainly.

"It's hard to see with all this fog...Or is it smoke?", Chie asked. She turned to the rest of them.

"What should we do?".

"Maybe we should look around?", Souji suggested.

"Huh? B-But we need to get home and-!". Chie turned around, only to turn back towards them again.

"W-Wait. Which way did we come in from? I don't see a way in...or out!".

He looked around. She was right. There didn't appear to be any exit way of any kind.

"What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!?", Yosuke said alarmed.

"I don't know! Don't ask me!", Chie yelled at him. She hugged herself.

"I can't take this anymore, I wanna go home!", she yelled, her voice on the edge of panic.

"Chie, calm down. We'll be fine", he said, putting as much Calm as he could muster.

"Florence is right Chie. Panic won't get us anywhere right now", Souji said firmly.

Chie looked at both of them for a second before taking deep breaths.

"So, what do we do now?", Yosuke asked.

"Well, how bout we find a way out? If there's a way in, there's a way out", Crystal said.

Seeing that no one was disagreeing with her, she spun around in place, looking around, before pointing in a random direction.

"This way!", she declared.

"Why that way?", Yosuke asked.

"No reason. I just chose randomly".

* * *

**Crystal**

She lead the rest of them down the path. The visibility was almost non-existent. She had no idea where they were going. But it was better than just sitting still. She didn't even know what was around them. For all she knew, she could be leading them in circles. Fortunately, it soon became apparent that she wasn't.

The fog became thinner and thinner, and she could see a bit. And they were in a vastly different place from before.

"What is this place? It feels different from where we are before...", Chie noted.

She put her hand on the wall next to her. It was stone. Brick to be specific. She smiled. She concentrated and tapped the wall, listening carefully.

"It's a building of some kind", she said.

"Yeah, it looks like a building...Damn it, this fog is so thick I can barely see", Yosuke groaned.

"Guys, I think I see something up ahead", her brother said, pointing forward.

They walked forward, and found a swirly black and red portal. She stared at it for a moment. Uhh...

"What is it?", Chie asked.

The girl had gotten over her panic, and was looking at the portal with interest.

"It looks like a portal...", Souji noted. Chie rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh. I mean, what do we do about it?".

"Well, I'm definitely not touching it!", Yosuke said.

Souji looked at the portal for a moment, before putting his hand through, much to Yosuke's annoyance.

"It's safe", he announced.

"D-Dude! Seriously, stop doing that!", Yosuke spluttered.

Souji ignored him, walking through the portal, and she quickly followed him.

* * *

"It's a dead end, there's no exit!", Chie cried out.

They were in a small room. At first glance, it just seemed to be a regular bedroom. And then she noticed the posters on the wall, each of the same person, sans the face. And then there was the yellow and red paint (she hoped it was paint) splattered across the walls.

"This room is pretty creepy", Souji noted.

"Yeah, it just gets creepier and creepier the further we go...", Yosuke said quietly. Then he groaned loudly.

"Argh! I can't hold it any longer! My bladder's going to explode!".

She tuned out the rest of his antics and instead looked closely at one of the posters. It looked like a woman, wearing one of those dress thingies people wore here. Kimonos if she remembered correctly. Without the face, she couldn't tell who it was, though she wouldn't be able to either way. She was drawn out of her thoughts by Yosuke, who had stopped yelling.

"Dude...this chair and rope? That kind of arrangement is never good".

She turned around to see Yosuke staring at a chair that was under something that suspiciously looked like a noose.

"Is that a scarf?", Souji asked, pointing to the noose.

"C'mon! Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit", Chie said, eager to get out of here. Her voice became heavy and tired.

"I don't feel so well...". Souji frowned.

"Me neither", he said.

"Well now that you mention it, I don't feel so well either...", Yosuke added.

She frowned. Other then a slight fatigue, she felt perfectly fine. She looked at her brother. He had a puzzled look on his face.

"Well then, let's go", Souji said firmly. He walked out and lead the way back.

* * *

**Florence**

They made their way back to the beginning area, but they still hadn't found an exit. He was sorely missing his regular form. His powers would have been really helpful about now. Though, even if he had them, he wouldn't be able to use them in front of the others. Chie tensed next to him suddenly.

"Hey, did you guys see that!?".

He turned to where she was looking, and saw a figure standing in the fog.

"Is someone out there?", Souji said loudly.

For a minute, the figure remained unmoving. Then it walked towards them, coming into focus, and was revealed to be... what looked like a toy bear with blue fur, wearing a red and white clownish costume. It had a large zipper around it's neck, and was shorter then everyone else. He blinked. This was...new.

"What is it? Some sort of monkey, or a bear?", Chie asked, confusion in her voice.

"That's what I want to know. Who are you guys?", the bear(?) said, taking everyone by surprise.

"Wait, it can talk!?", Chie said. Then she set her face into a glare and set herself in what looked like a battle pose.

"What are you! You wanna fight?", she yelled. In response, the bear(?) cowered in fear.

"Wahh! Can't you tell? I'm a bear. And don't yell at me!", the bear said. He had a very young sounding voice.

"Hey, calm down", Souji told the bear. The bear stopped cowering.

"I don't want to fight. I just want you guys to leave", he said plaintively. The bear didn't seem to notice the looks of confusion given to him.

"Someone's been throwing people in here, and I want them to stop!", he said.

"What do you mean?", his sister asked. The bear turned towards her.

"I just want to live here, like I always have, but ever since someone's been throwing people in here, my home's becoming a mess. I just want to live here peacefully!", the bear wailed.

"Then what do you want with us?", Yosuke asked.

"I want you guys to leave", the bear said.

Yosuke became angry.

"Well, we want to leave too, but there's no way out!".

The bear became annoyed. "That's why I'm going to let you out!".

"I keep telling you, we can't get out-wait, what?".

The bear stomped his foot, and three televisions appeared in front of them. He blinked again. The bear walked around them, and started to push them into the TVs.

"H-Hey, watch it!", cried Chie.

"Stop pushing!", Yosuke complained.

But he pushed all of them through the TV, and outside.

* * *

"Huh? Is this...?", Chie asked.

"Did we make it back?", Yosuke asked.

"We did. It's Junes", he replied.

They were on the floor of Junes. Souji and Crystal got up. Souji helped Chie up, while his sister helped him up from off the ground. The store intercom turned on and an announcement about some sort of sale came on.

"Crap, it's already that late?", Yosuke asked.

Then he did a double take.

"Hey look at that!"

"Look at what?", his sister asked.

Yosuke pointed to a poster on the wall."Now I remember where I saw that poster before".

The rest of them looked over to where he was pointing. And it was the poster they saw inside the TV, only complete.

"Hey, I see it now. I couldn't tell without the face, but that's Misuzu Hiragi", Chie said.

"Who?", his sister asked.

"Misuzu Hiragi's a famous enka singer. Her husband, Governor Namatame, was in an affair with the announcer, Ms Yamano", Souji told Crystal.

"Does that mean that that weird room had something to do with that Yamano lady's death?", Yosuke asked.

"Maybe...wait no! We got to stop thinking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my heart can take anymore", Yosuke said.

"I'm feeling a chill too. Let's go home and rest", Chie said exhaustedly.

* * *

**Souji**

He went home. It was dark by the time he got there. He trudged into the house. Dojima and Nanako where already at the table, so he took a seat too.

"Hey, welcome back", Dojima said. He then looked at the table.

"Um, I doubt you would know anything, but...", he looked at him straight in the eyes, "have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?".

He frowned. Saki was Yosuke's friend. "I met her once. I don't think she was at school today"

"Hmm, I see...To be honest...We got a call from her family. She's disappeared".

He frowned some more. She disappeared?

"She hasn't been found yet?", he asked. Dojima sighed.

"We've got people searching for her, but she hasn't been found yet".

Why would she disappear? Then he overheard something interesting from the television. Apparently, Ms Yamano had been staying at the Amagi Inn. He tuned out the rest of the TV report. He was about to eat his dinner, when he sneezed.

"Are you sick?", Dojima asked him. And he did feel under the weather, though he knew it was because of that TV world.

"You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, would you get some cold medicine?"

Even though he insisted he was fine, Nanako still gave him the medicine. Still exhausted, he went straight to bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: The Mysterious Bear

**'Welcome back everybody, to Persona 4: Golden-'**

**"Sire! Forgive me!"**

**'...What're you doing here?'**

**"I had also gotten the narrator's letter, but I was unable to make it in time. Please, forgive milord!"**

**'What did I tell you about calling me that'**

**Last I checked, you told her not to**

**'Exactly'**

**"Forgive me sir. Lady"**

**'I give up. Just read what has happened so far before joining us'**

**"Yes sir"**

**'Wait!'**

**"Milord?'**

**'You have to say the disclaimer first'**

**"Oh. Uh, of course. Ahem. The StoneMasked Taliesin does not own this series of...uh..."**

**Persona**

**"Of Persona, which belongs to...to...to their creators. He ones the original characters and ideas"**

**'Nice job'**

**"Thank you milord"**

**We're holding up the chapter. Roll the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Mysterious Bear**

**Souji**

He felt much, much better in the morning. Completely refreshed. Dojima was already leaving for work by the time he walked downstairs.

"Oh, your awake. Well, I'm off to work", Dojima said before leaving hurriedly.

Nanako turned to him, picking at her plate.

"Dad got a call, that's why he went to work early". She looked worried.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine", he reassured her.

She nodded, but the worry didn't go away completely. He ate a sandwich before leaving for school. It was another rainy day. He vaguely heard police sirens in the distance. He wondered what had happened. Hopefully nothing too serious.

He got to school without any incident, and was sitting in the class room when an announcement for a special assembly was, well, announced. A short while later, and everyone was in the assembly hall, muttering and wondering what happened.

"Oi, shaddup you brats!", Morooka roared. Ms Soufe, the history teacher, tapped the microphone. "

All right, settle down. The principal has something to say".

While the principal made his way to the podium, he glanced at Yosuke. He seemed unusually downcast today.

"I regret to inform", the principal began, "that a third year student, Saki Konishi...has passed away".

He blinked in shock as muttering broke out around him. Saki had died? How? Why? He blinked and turned around to find Yosuke, only to see him retreating into the crowd, almost running. The principal continued to speak, but he ignored him. He remembered how Dojima said that Saki had disappeared yesterday. He watched as Yosuke walked further and further away, until he disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

**Crystal**

She walked behind Souji and Chie as they tried to find Yosuke. Saki died. She was dead. Death was no foreign concept to her, but it was slightly surreal. Saki, a girl she'd seen not a day before yesterday, was now gone.

She couldn't begin to think how bad a state Yosuke was right now. She lifted her head up as she heard two girls talking about how Saki had died in a similar way to the announcer. She narrowed her eyes. Had she been killed? Well, that made things a touch different.

"Hey, there he is", Chie said, pointing.

She looked and saw Yosuke sitting on the chairs, looking down at the ground. He was holding a ticket. They walked up to him.

"Yosuke, are you okay?", Chie asked.

She mentally snorted. Was he okay? Wasn't it obvious? Yosuke was silent for a moment.

"Hey...Did you guys see the Midnight Channel last night?", he asked.

"Yosuke! Not you too!", Chie said.

"Just be quite for a second! I think the person on the Channel last night was...Saki-Senpai".

Yosuke continued to speak, ignoring the looks of surprise. "There's no mistaking it...Senpai looked like she was writhing in pain. And then...", Yosuke put his head in his hands," She disappeared from the screen", he said sorrowfully.

She blinked in surprise.

"What?", Chie asked, confused.

"You know how Senpai's body was found in a similar state to the announcer's? Well, remember how you said that some guy was exited about how the announcer was his soulmate? That got me thinking...Maybe she appeared on the Midnight Channel too before she died"

"Hold on. Are you saying that people who appear on that Channel...die?"

"I can't say for sure. but something tells me I can't just dismiss this as coincidence. Plus remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous and we should leave before the fog clears? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there. And that weird room. It has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean, don't you think there's some sort of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death?".

She had to hand it to Yosuke, he had given a pretty good theory. It made sense. Though in these situations, there was always other info, a bigger picture. Yosuke turned to Souji.

"Well, what do you think?".

Souji frowned."You might be right", he said.

"You think so too huh? Well, if there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. Which means if we look around, we might find something about Senpai's death".

"Yosuke, don't tell me...", Chie said.

"Yeah, I'm thinking of going back in there. I want to find out for myself why Senpai had to die" Yosuke said softly.

Chie frowned.

"D-Don't do this, you should just let the police handle this-"

"You think the police can do anything?! They haven't even made any progress on the other case! Besides, they wouldn't believe anything about a world inside the TV!", Yosuke said angrily, standing up.

He turned to Souji.

"Sorry, but you're the only person who can help me".

She 'ahemed'.

"Don't worry, we got your back, right?" she said, directing the last part to Souji, who nodded.

"Wait, but-".

She interrupted Yosuke with a poke.

"No buts. I'm going with you guys", she said firmly. Yosuke was silent for a moment, before nodding.

"Okay, I'm going to get ready. See you at Junes", he said, before running off.

"I can kind of understand, but there's no way to be sure we'll get out safely again. What should we do?", Chie asked.

"We should help him", Souji said simply.

"Your serious? W-Well, anyway, we should go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone, "Chie said.

She shook her head.

"You guys go on ahead. I gotta get some things", she said.

Souji and Chie nodded, and they went their separate ways.

* * *

**Souji**

He and Chie found Yosuke standing in front of the flat screens, a rope around his waist and a golf club in hand.

"Hey, you guys made it", he said with a smile.

Chie stomped her foot.

"We came here to stop you, idiot!", she said angrily.

"I can't just pretend that this has nothing to go with me. What about you? Could you just walk away?".

He shook his head.

"Neither could I".

Yosuke jumped as Crystal spoke suddenly, standing behind him.

"Gah! Would you stop doing that?". Crystal just blinked owlishly.

Behind her, Florence regarded them with serious eyes.

"Anyway, I'm not going in without a plan Chie", Yosuke said, giving Chie the rope. She looked at it in alarm.

"W-What is this, a lifeline?".

"Yes. Your the most important part of the plan", Yosuke said sincerely.

"If I tug on this rope, you'll pull us out. What ever you do, don't let go". Yosuke turned to the rest of them.

"Alright, so it's the three of us".

Florence stepped forward, but Crystal stopped him, whispering into his ear. Florence opened his mouth as if to argue, before closing it.

"I'll stay with Chie".

"Okay. Now, these are for you", Yosuke said, handing him a first aid kit and a golf club.

"A golf club?", he asked, confused.

"Yeah. Just in case we need something to protect ourselves"

"...So you chose a golf club"

"It was the only thing I could find".

Yosuke turned to the TV.

"Ready?", he asked, glancing at him. He nodded.

"Ready"

"You bet I am".

He poked the TV screen, before they entered the TV.

* * *

**Chie**

She waited for a minute. Then another. One final minute, before she tugged. Just to see if it worked. She pulled...and the rope came out. She looked at the rope in shock, falling to the ground, while Florence growled next to her.

"See...? I knew this wouldn't work...".

* * *

**Souji**

This time, he was ready for the fall, and landed more or less on his feet. Crystal rolled across the ground before springing up to her feet. Yosuke? He didn't.

"Owww", he groaned.

He helped him up. They were in the same place as before.

"Look, it's the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!", Yosuke said in surprise.

"Y-You guys? Why'd you come back?".

The mysterious bear from before walked out of the fog. He looked at them confusedly, before becoming angry.

"I get it! You're the ones behind this!".

"Wait, what did you say?", Crystal asked.

"Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up. This is the second time you guys came in here, and I don't think anyone forced you in. And that means you're the most suspicious! That means you must be the ones throwing people in here!", the bear proclaimed, pointing at them, letting out a high pitched, squeaky roar.

"That's not to true at all", he said calmly.

Yosuke was a bit less calm.

"What're you talking about, throwing people in!? If someone was thrown in here, and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a -", Yosuke stopped and all three of them realized what those words implied.

"Wait a minute, throwing people in. Does he mean Senpai and the announcer? What do you think?", he asked them.

"That could be it", he said.

"It's more then likely" Crystal said with certainty. Yosuke nodded.

"I think so too. So assuming he", he gestured to the bear," is telling the truth...does that mean someone's throwing people in here with the intention of killing them?", he said.

"That also seems pretty likely", Crystal said.

"What are you guy's mumbling about?", interrupted the bear.

"Why'd you come here again? It's a one way door. Remember how I had to let you out?"

"Yeah, whatever. See, we don't need your help this time, we have a life-", at this point, everyone noticed that the rope around Yosuke was cut.

"What!", Yosuke exclaimed.

He looked at the rope for a while, before turning back to the bear.

"L-Look, you better let us out after we're done investigating".

The bear growled.

"I'm the one who wants to investigate here! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me that you're not throwing people in here!"

"Proof!? It doesn't work like that", he said incredulously.

"Hah, then you are the ones throwing people in here".

"Shut up! We aren't the ones throwing people here, so we have nothing to prove to you! Listen up. We're dead serious. People have died in our world. Every time the fog shows up, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow. If you know something tell us!", Yosuke said.

"A dead body...whenever the fog appears? I know that when it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts, that's when the Shadows get violent. That's why I told you guys to get out last time. Now no more questions! I know you guys are doing it, so you'd better stop!"

"For the last time, we're not the ones doing it! I've told you time and time again!", Yosuke yelled angrily.

The bear faltered.

"I-I'm just saying that you guys might be the culprits".

"What? Man, this bear is driving me nuts. What is this place anyway? It looks like a studio".

Yosuke's eyes widened.

"Wait, don't tell me...Is that weird show being filmed here!?".

"Weird show? Filmed? I don't get it".

Crystal whispered into Yosuke's ear.

"I don't think he knows what those are".

"No one's ever done this 'filming' thing here. This worlds always been like this".

"Wait, run that be us again?", he asked.

"This world's always been like this. Only me and the Shadows live here"

"What are these Shad-".

Crystal was interrupted by Yosuke.

"We don't know what these Shadow things are! Or even what you are for that matter! You're the most suspicious one here. I think it about time you show yourself!".

Before anyone could stop him, Yosuke walked over to the bear, grabbed his head, and pulled it clean off. And inside was...nothing.

"Whoa!", Yosuke said, dropping the head.

"I-It's empty", he said shock. The now beheaded bear was wandering around, searching for it's head.

"W-What the hell is this thing", Yosuke asked, wide-eyed.

The bear found his head, and put it back on.

"Me?", said the bear, sounding downcast, but otherwise not showing any sign of affect from his temporary beheadment.

"I-I would never do such a thing. I just want things to go back to the way they were before", the bear said slightly sadly. The three of them remained silent.

"Okay, I'll believe you guys aren't the culprits, but in return, you have to find the real ones! Otherwise...I won't let you out!".

"Wait, what!"

"You're practically threatening us!"

"Hell no!".

"If this doesn't stop, my home will keep getting messier and messier, and I'll...I...", the bear started to cry loudly.

"Stop it", he said irritated.

The bear turned to him with pleading eyes.

"Will you guys do it? You're the only people I can turn to".

"Damn bear, practically holding a gun to our heads..." Yosuke grumbled.

"Well, we did come here to find the culprit either way", Crystal said.

"I guess your right", Yosuke said.

He turned to him. He nodded. Yosuke nodded too, and turned to the bear.

"Okay then, we'll do it Might as well introduce ourselves. My name is Yosuke Hanamura. This is Souji Seta", Souji waved his hand, "Hey" "-And this is Cryst-" "Crystal de Tuthua", Crystal interrupted, ignoring the annoyed look Yosuke sent her.

"Why'd you interrupt me?", he whispered.

"I didn't want you to butcher my last name", she whispered back. While they were doing this, the bear turned to him.

"R-Really? You'll really do it?"

"Yeah. We will".

Yosuke and Crystal finished their mini-argument, and joined the conversation.

"So, what's your name?", Crystal asked.

"Teddie", the bear said cheerfully.

He cringed inwardly at his name.

"Huh, figures", Yosuke said in an exasperated groan. Then he realized something.

"How are we going to find the culprit in the first place?", he asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know about that, but I do know where the last person came in", Teddie said.

"Wait, the last person...you mean Saki-Senpai!?"

"I dunno the name of the person, I just know where they appeared. Oh! You guys might also want to wear these", Teddie said, giving them each a pair of glasses. His was grey, Yosuke's was orange, and Crystal's was an emerald-green. As soon as he put them on, the effect was instantaneous.

It was as if the fog wasn't there at all.

"Whoa"

"It's like the fog doesn't exist.", he said.

Crystal remained silent, but was whipping her head around, looking at everything around her.

As Yosuke said, it was in fact a studio, albeit an odd one. It almost looked like an M.C Escher painting, except normal and sane.

"These glasses will help you walk through the fog. I've been here for a long time, so you can depend on me. Though...".

"Though what?", Yosuke said.

"...Your going to have to defend yourselves".

He frowned. He made it sound like there were other things in this place. He recalled about what he mentioned earlier. Something about Shadows.

"What happened to relying on you!? T-There better not be any monsters, you understand!? I mean, we bought weapons-"

"If you can call a golf club a weapon", he muttered.

"-but they're more for show then anything else. We just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?"

"Uh uh. No way. I've gotten no muscles", Teddie stated matter-o-factly.

"Oh, I know. I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance. How's that sound?".

By now, he was getting annoyed, and judging by Yosuke's face, he was too. He walked up to Teddie, and before he could say anything, he flicked him between the eyes.

Much to everyone's surprise, Teddie fell over, and started to do his best upturned turtle impression.

"Noooo...", he said pitifully, while flailing around on the ground, unable to get up.

"THIS is all the back up we get? Uh, this is so lame...", Yosuke groaned.

"Cheer up. We didn't even expect to get any back up in the first place", Crystal said, semi-cheerfully.

"Oh yeah, can I ask you guys something?", Teddie said from the ground, not flailing anymore.

"Who's this Saki-Senpai person? Someone you know?".

He looked at Yosuke, who had a pained look on his face.

"...That doesn't matter right now. Anyway, at least we know that Senpai might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information. Let's get moving".

Both he and Yosuke walked away, while Crystal, who had taken pity on him, helped Teddie up.

* * *

**Florence**

He was at a bit of a loss of what to do. After the rope had been cut, Chie had gone into instant Super-Worry mode. She simply stayed on the floor. Her eyes were now red and tears where running down her face. Not knowing quite what to do, he sat next to her. He didn't need his powers to tell what her emotions where. Even depowered, the amount of Worry, Sadness, and Anger coming of her was a beacon.

"I'm sure they'll be fine", he said, hoping to comfort her.

"B-But what if they a-aren't? T-They could be d-dead for all we know!", she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Nice job comforting, a small voice in the back of his head said sarcastically. He ignored it. He remained silent for a moment.

"You're really worried about them, huh?". Chie turned to him, scowling.

"O-of course! Why wouldn't I!", she half shouted.

"You really care about them. They're lucky to have you as a friend", he stated.

Chie's expression went from angry to confused. A moment of silence passed.

"Chie, look at me", he said.

He turned to her, and looked straight into her eyes.

"They'll be fine. My sister doesn't give up so easily".

Chie remained silent for a moment, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"...You really have a lot of faith in her, huh?"

"She's been through worse. All we need is a bit of faith in them. So please, don't worry".

Chie looked a bit confused at the first thing he said, but she said nothing. She turned back to the TV, and he felt some Hope. He turned back to the TV. Those guy's better get out soon.


	6. Chapter 6: Shadow Yosuke

**"Welcome back everybody"**

**'Ah, you finished catching up'**

**"Yes milord"**

**'I will get you to stop saying that one day. But never mind that. We finally get some action'**

**"We do?"**

**Yes. It's time to meet the Shadows**

**'Shh! Don't spoil it for them'**

**It's already in the title**

**'Anyway, time for the disclaimer. Persona belongs to Atlus, not the boss. He only owns the original ideas and characters. Now that that's done with, lets get the popcorn!'**

**"Of course!"**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Shadow Yosuke**

**Souji**

Teddie led them to the place where the last person had entered. and much to their shock...

"What in the world!? This looks just like the shopping district", Yosuke said, looking around.

Sure. A shopping district with the sky replaced by swirls of red and black. Other than that and the aura of uncertainty and malice, it looked exactly like the shopping district.

"Some really weird places have appeared. It's getting so tangled, I don't know what to do", Teddie said.

Yosuke looked at the bear. "Uh...By the way, why are you standing so far away?".

Teddie was indeed standing very far away behind them. Yosuke narrowed his eyes.

"You better not be planning to high-tail it out of here if something does come up".

"What, of course not! I mean, I can't stand to close, you know, I'd get in your way", Teddie said nervously.

Both he and Yosuke grumbled under their breath. Yosuke looked around.

"Still, who ever built this really went all out on this. But of all the places in town to build, why this?".

"Uh, Yosuke? I'm not so sure anyone 'built' this place", Crystal said.

"Am I right?", she asked, turning to Teddie.

"How should I know? This place is reality for those inside".

While Yosuke grumbled about the bear being cryptic again, Crystal hung on those words.

"Wait, if this is the shopping district, then...Saki-Senpai's store!", Yosuke said, suddenly running off.

They followed him, and saw him standing in front of one of the stores.

"I knew it! This is the liquor store Senpai's parents run. Does that mean Senpai disappeared here?", Yosuke asked, stepping forward.

The door suddenly opened, revealing another swirly black and red portal.

"W-Wait!", Teddie cried out. Yosuke stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"T-They're here! Shadows. I had a feeling they were going to attack", Teddie said fearfully.

As soon as he said the first sentence, Crystal tensed up next to him, and he clutched his golf club. Why couldn't Yosuke have gotten him something else? They all whirled around as sounds emanated from the portal. Two blue masks, each with a mournful expression, popped out of the portal, landing on the floor. Black inky substance oozed out of the back of the mask, forming a body. The creatures floated in the air, transforming into another shape entirely. they were now shaped like an egg, with vivid black and magenta stripes, and a large human mouth. They made ravenous sounds, black tongues lolling out as they rushed towards them.

* * *

**Crystal**

She had equipped her gauntlets as soon as Teddie said 'They'. And now, seeing the whatever they were rushing towards Yosuke, she leapt into the air, intent on protecting him. Much to her shock, the things swerved out of her way, and her fist hit the ground hard. What...? Then she realized what they were after. Not Yosuke.

"Souji!", she cried out, whirling around.

Just in time to see the first thing be cut in two.

* * *

**Souji**

For a second, he was paralyzed with fear. then he clutched his head as a massive pain erupted in his mind.

"_I Am Thou...Thou Art I. The Time Has Come. Open Thine Eyes And Call Out Forth__What Is Within". _

The pain turned into comfort as he opened his eyes slowly, energy buzzing within him, as if he had guzzled down a pack of energy drinks. He regarded the card in his hand, turning it around. The card burned brightly, and he was aware of nothing else. Not Yosuke and Teddie's shocked looks, Or Crystal's scream. Only one thing enveloped his mind.

_Call upon me_.

He smiled.

"Per...son...a!".

Calm turned into a storm of energy as euphoria rushed through his body, feeling like ice water flowing through his veins. He screamed, but not in pain. He looked at the thing in front of him. The Shadow. And he watched as it was cut in two. Before the it's buddy could mourn it's loss, it was zapped with a bolt of electricity, dissolving immediately. He looked at the place where the Shadows once were, a slight fatigue filling him.

He turned his head to look at the figure next to him. It was humanoid, but most definitely not human. It stood nine feet tall, wearing a long black trench coat, and wielding a large, razor sharp nanigata. It's legs were blades, and it wore a white mask, long white ribbons hanging from it's sides.

"Izanagi", he said softly. Izanagi. One of the creators of Japan. And his Persona. Izanagi glanced at him, yellow eye's locked on his silver. He nodded, before disappearing.

"Wh-Wh...What the hell was that!?".

He turned to see Yosuke looking at him in shock.

"What was that!? Did you say 'Persona'? What-".

A flustered Yosuke was interrupted by Crystal, who pushed him out of the way, and stood in front of him.

"What was that?", she said, voice no-nonsense.

Even though she was shorter than her, she was sufficiently intimidating. Bright emerald eyes bored into his, mouth curled into a frown. One hand was on her hips. the other was pointing straight at him, inches from his face. He didn't fail to notice the metal gauntlets on her hands. She hadn't been wearing those before.

"Well?", she demanded.

Teddie interrupted.

"Calm down Crystal. You're troubling Sensei!".

The scowl on Crystal's face quickly turned into confusion. She looked at Teddie, who was in turn looking at him, eyes shining.

"Gosh almighty! You're amazing Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were afraid of you!". Teddie gasped.

"Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world.

"I suppose...", he said uncertainly.

"Wow! This is really something! Don't you think so guys?", Teddie asked, turning to Crystal and Yosuke. They were less than pleased.

"Dude, you call him Sensei, and you don't show us any respect!?", Yosuke said angrily.

"Sorry...", Teddie said, abashed and actually sounding sorry.

"W-Well, I suppose you did warn us, so I guess I got to give you credit for that". Yosuke turned to Crystal.

"And I saw how you jumped in to save me, so...thanks", he said with a grin and a wink.

For a minute, she just looked at him silently.

Then she punched him in the shoulder, a playful smile gracing her face.

"Don't mention it", she said, herself grinning and winking. Yosuke smiled, but he rubbed his shoulder immediately with a wince as soon as Crystal turned to him.

"Sorry about earlier", she said.

He shook his head.

"Don't worry".

"If we keep this up, we should be fine. Let's get back to the investigation", Yosuke said.

At that moment, they suddenly heard voices.

* * *

**Crystal**

As soon as they had entered the TV for the first time, she knew that her stay in Inaba would be just as weird as her usual life. So, Shadows and Personas. That wasn't too odd either. Voices out of thin air?

"I'm not the only one hearing voices, am I?, she asked.

"No, I hear them too", Souji said.

The mutterings became clearer.

"I wish Junes would go under", was the first thing she heard.

Other voices soon joined the first. All of them were either complaining about Junes...or vilifying Saki Konishi. She narrowed her eyes. However brief her meeting with Saki was, she hardly deserved this.

"H-Hey, Ted?", Yosuke said suddenly.

"You said this place was reality for those inside, right? So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?".

"I only know what's going on here. I don't know?", Teddie said uncertainly.

Yosuke looked down for a minute, clenching his fist, before looking up at them, determination in his eyes.

"Fine. Whatever's going on, we'll find out ourselves!", he proclaimed.

"Right"

"Got it".

* * *

They entered the portal and found themselves in what she supposed was an average liquor store. She didn't know what a liquor store was supposed to look like, but this was probably it. Bottles lined shelf upon endless shelf. She grabbed one, and looked at the liquid sloshing inside. Apparently it was fully stocked too. She made a face and put the bottle back. Then the voices began again.

"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?!", a man's voice rang out.

"I-Is this Senpai's Dad?", Yosuke asked.

"Shouldn't you know that?".

The voice continued to yell.

"You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family that's owned this store for generations! Is it for the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there of all places!".

"I-I can't believe this...She seemed like she had fun at work, she never said anything about stuff like this...", Yosuke said in a dejected voice.

"Are you telling me this is how she really saw things!?", he said, voice suddenly rising.

Before she could say anything, he ran over to a table. Scattered upon the table was a picture cut into pieces. And a crushed movie ticket. Yosuke looked at the picture in disbelief. She walked up to him slowly, not sure what to say. Comforting wasn't her thing.

"Yosuke?", Souji asked softly.

"I never got the chance to say it...".

She startled as Saki's voice suddenly rang out.

"I always wanted to tell Hana-chan...".

Tell him what? Was this a declaration of-

"That he was a real pain in the ass"

...Or it could be the exact opposite.

"I was only nice to him because he was the store manager's son, that's all. But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip".

She glanced at Yosuke. He was completely crushed.

"P-Pain in the ass?".

She clenched her fists. Comfort, she wasn't good at. Beating things into a pulp? She could do that. She looked around to see if the voice had an origin. She listened to the rest of Saki's triad against Junes with one ear.

"It's a l-lie, it can't be...Senpai's not like that!", Yosuke said angrily.

**"It's so sad. I feel so sorry for myself. Boo-hoo". **

She whipped around on hearing Yosuke's voice. Except not Yosuke. Yosuke grinned at them, leaning on a barrel. Cruel glowing yellow eyes looked at them in amusement, as a blue aura enveloped the other Yosuke. Other than that, he looked exactly like Yosuke. His mannerisms though...His mannerisms were a twisted mirror of Yosuke's. The Other Yosuke's grin grew to scary levels when they saw him.

**"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass",** he said, laughing.

At this moment, Teddie walked in on the scene, and was appropriately surprised.

"Huh? Two Yosukes?".

No one answered him, and before she could tell him it was a bad idea, Yosuke ran up to his double.

"Who are you?! I wouldn't think that!".

The Other Yosuke grinned, walking towards Yosuke (This was starting to get confusing).

**"Yeah right. How long are you going to delude yourself? Screw the shopping district and Junes. In fact, screw everything! You're sick of everything, especially living out here in the sticks!"**, the Other Yosuke said.

"What are you saying? That's not-"

**"True? But it is. You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You've got to be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And nobody could care less. Chie only hangs out with you for your wallet, and Yukiko won't even give you the time of day. And this whole thing about checking out this world for Saki-Senpai's sake? Hah! I know the real reason. Do you want to hear it?"**.

Yosuke shook his head, backing up with wide eyes. The Other Yosuke's grin became sadistic.

**"The real reason you came here snooping-" **

"S-Stop it!"

**"Hahahaha! What, why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit? Or maybe...maybe I do know everything in that useless head of yours. Why? Because I am you!"**.

Other Yosuke glanced in their direction**. **

**"Now, watch as the only two who didn't know you before hand leave in disgust like everyone else, _Prince of Junes_! He only came here because it sounded like a good time! A world inside a TV, now that's exciting. You came here because there's nothing else to do in this shithole! You didn't have any other reason to come here, did you? Did you?"**, Other Yosuke said each word slowly, with pleasure.

"That's not true...stop...stop it!", Yosuke said without much force.

The Other Yosuke just sneered.

**"Hah, see how pathetic you are? Am I right-"**.

She interrupted Other Yosuke the only way she knew how. By trying to pulverize him. Next to her, Souji brandished his golf club menacingly, looking at Other Yosuke calmly. Other Yosuke just dodged her, moving far to swiftly for someone who had their hands in their pockets**. **

**"Oh? Did I strike a nerve, girly? I'm only telling the truth. He only came here because if all went well, hey, maybe he could be a hero! And that Senpai he was so sweet on was the perfect excuse"**.

That last line got Yosuke's attention.

"That's not true!", Yosuke yelled angrily.

"Who are you!? What are you!".

Yosuke yelled, pushing them out of the way and glaring at his doppelganger, inches from his face. Other Yosuke merely chuckled easily, eyes locked onto Yosuke's**. **

**"I already told ya. I'm you, you're Shadow! There's nothing I don't know about you"**.

That was the last straw for Yosuke.

"Screw that, I don't know you! You're not me, you bastard!", Yosuke screamed at his Shadow.

Shadow Yosuke gave a chilling chuckle, before giving a full out, evil laugh**. **

**"Say it again, I dare ya!"**

"You're not me. You're nothing like me!".

Shadow Yosuke gave a soft chuckle, pushing the hair out of his eyes.

**"That's right. I'm not you. I'm me now! I'm not you anymore, see?"**.

The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she lunged at Yosuke, pushing him out of the way as blue aura blazed red. She heard a throaty laugh, before being launched into the wall.

* * *

**Souji**

He looked at what was once Shadow Yosuke in shock. What stood in front of him was no more a human by any standard. What stood in front of him was a monster. It could only be described as a centaur with a frog instead of a horse. The figure was black, with a red scarf and yellow gloves large enough to crush a man. It was attached to a frog, which had a V-shaped grin full of pointy teeth. Yosuke looked up at his Shadow in shock, trembling on the floor. The Shadow stomped towards them.

**"I am a Shadow, the True Self. I'll crush everything that bores me. Starting with you!"**.

It said, before leaping up high in the air and crashing into the floor in front of them. A strong wind blasted them backwards, and his back arced in pain as he hit the ground.

_Call upon me, quick. You shall not survive against our weakness_.

He blinked away tears as Izanagi's card hovered in front of him. He watched as the Shadow stomped towards an unconscious Yosuke, cackling madly. He narrowed his eyes, and crushed the card. "

Izanagi!".

Izanagi appeared in front of him, rushing at Shadow Yosuke. He ran beside his Persona. Just as Shadow Yosuke was about to crush Yosuke, Izanagi blocked him.

"Pick on someone your own size!", he said, picking what he thought was a sufficiently cool line.

**"Someone my own size, eh? I'll start with you then!"**, Shadow Yosuke said, jumping into the air again.

He braced himself for the attack, only for Izanagi to blast it with a Zio. The Shadow fell to the ground with a yell of pain, crumpling on the floor. Immediately, Izanagi launched a flurry of slashes at the Shadow. After taking some punishment, Shadow Yosuke abruptly blocked the nanigata with it's hands.

**"Pain in the ass!"**, he roared, launching another blast of wind.

Izanagi flew backwards, and he fell flat on his back, his breath knocked out of his lungs. Immediately, Shadow Yosuke crushed Izanagi's midsection. He gasped for breath that didn't come as his chest was crushed by immense strength. Spots flickered as his vision went dark. All the sudden, breath flew into his lungs. He gulped down air as he looked up to see what happened. What he saw was a short girl brutally beating up Shadow Yosuke with only her fists and a bottle.

* * *

**Crystal**

Crashing into a wall was never wanted on a good day. Crashing into a wall stocked with alcohol? Way more annoying. She winced as the entire shelf crashed down on her, soaking her with liquor. And unfortunately giving her a good gulp of it.

She spat out the vile liquid as her throat burned. She started to cough, pushing off the shelf and glaring at Shadow Yosuke. Her anger became tenfold when she saw the Shadow squeezing the life out of Souji's Persona thing. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw a broken bottle.

She grabbed the neck and ran towards the Shadow, punching it in the back of the head. She followed up with a flurry of punches and uppercuts. Shadow Yosuke let go of the Persona, and turned to glare at her. And she wasted no time smashing the jagged edges of the bottle into its chest. It's scream was surprisingly cathartic. She plunged the bottle deeper, black ichor spilling out, before punching the Shadow in the face.

**"You little bitc-!"**.

She cut it off with another flurry of punches. Shadow Yosuke roared in pain, before brushing her off. She hit the ground lightly, before running behind him and trying to attack him again. He saw this coming though, and caught her in midair, crushing her. She struggled as the breath was crushed out of her lungs.

**"How long will you survive this?", **Shadow Yosuke said with malicious glee, increasing his grip.

She growled before screaming as she felt her bones being crushed. Her vision started to go dark. She started to blindly grab for the earth around her. All she had to do was call on it, and she could tear this thing apart. But...

Her decision was made for her as Shadow Yosuke suddenly let go of her, screaming in pain. She fell to the ground and quickly got up one her feet, working out kinks. The Persona slashed at Shadow Yosuke again, a bolt of lightning hitting it. Souji ran up to her.

"You okay?".

She glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Are you okay?".

Souji looked like he had trampled by a herd of pigs (What? She'd seen that happen before). His hair was completely ruffled, his jacket completely shredded where the wind hit him. He shook his head.

"I'm fine".

They looked up when Shadow Yosuke screamed again. The Persona had launched another bolt of lightning, leaving Shadow Yosuke crumpled on the ground. She glanced at Souji.

"So. Time to beat it up?".

Souji nodded, twirling his golf club around.

"Yes. Let's".

She smirked and ran towards the fallen Shadow, Souji close behind her. Shadow Yosuke started to get up, only for her to send him back down to the ground with a hammer arm to the head. Souji followed with a barrage of blows to the head with his golf club, until it was completely dented. They jumped away as Shadow Yosuke got up slowly, clutching it's head.

**"Pain in the ass..."**, he said, voice slurred.

"Oi, I think it's on the ropes", she said.

"Got it. Izanagi, let's do this!".

The Persona, Izanagi, pointed it's nanigata at Shadow Yosuke, and zapped it one final time. Shadow Yosuke screamed and convulsed, and red aura turned blue as Shadow Yosuke fell.

* * *

"We got him", Souji said with a sigh, Izanagi disappearing behind him.

She nodded. Both of them turned around as Yosuke, the real one, groaned, waking up. Teddie, who had pulled Yosuke to safety, hovered over him anxiously.

"Yosuke, are you okay?".

They ran up to him.

"Hey, you okay?", she asked, kneeling next to him.

"I'm fine", he said slowly, taking Souji's hand and pulling himself up, only to freeze on seeing something. She looked behind her and saw Shadow Yosuke in his non-monstrous form, looking at the ground in a mixture of anger and melancholy. Yosuke's mouth curled in anger on seeing his double.

"You're...You're not me!", he said angrily, yelling at his Shadow.

"That thing came from you Yosuke. You have to accept it of it'll go bear-serk again", Teddie said softly.

Yosuke shook his head, looking reluctant.

"But, that's not-"

"Yosuke. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone's the same inside", Souji spoke up, looking at Yosuke in the eye.

Yosuke looked at him in surprise.

"Was that supposed to be comforting?", he asked dubiously.

Souji scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, yeah".

She snorted. "Comforting or not, it's true Yosuke", she said.

Yosuke looked at her, before walking towards his Shadow.

"Damn it. It hurts to face yourself", he mumbled, catching his Shadow's attention.

"I knew you weren't lying, but I was so ashamed I didn't want to admit it. You're me... And I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me".

Shadow Yosuke looked at him in surprise, before chuckling and giving a genuine smile. A sudden wind blew through the room. Unlike the wind from before, it was gentle and smelled fresh. The wind enveloped Shadow Yosuke, blocking him from sight, before dispersing. In shadow Yosuke's place stood something that could only be described as a hybrid between a disco dancer, a frog, and a ninja. The Persona, because she assumed that's what it was, gave Yosuke a thumbs up, before turning into a card and disappearing.

"This is my Persona...Jiraiya", Yosuke said softly, smiling. He turned back to face them, only to stumble forward. She ran up to catch him.

"Easy there"

"When we heard Senpai's voice...I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping deep inside of her. He was a real pain in the ass, huh?", he said with a chuckle, "What a way to find out. Geez, this is embarrassing".

Yosuke brushed her off, standing up.

"If you guys weren't here, I don't know what would have happened. Thanks".

She shook her head.

"Don't mention it", she said, smiling.

"You're our friend", Souji said simply.

Yosuke smiled back, before turning to Teddie.

"Hey, Ted? Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here?"

"I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. When the fog clears, that's when the Shadows go bear-serk. And you saw what happens next. A really strong Shadow draws others towards it, and the mass of Shadows kill it's host".

"So that's why people die when the fog appears in our world", Souji said grimly.

Yosuke nodded, before stumbling again. Souji caught him, supporting the worn out boy.

"This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I think we should get back", Teddie said.

No one objected, and they started to make for the entrance, Souji supporting Yosuke.

* * *

He was very tired. Bone tired. The fight with Shadow Yosuke had completely drained him. And if he was this tired, he couldn't imagine how Yosuke felt like. Though he had a pretty good idea, considering the fact that Yosuke could barley stand without leaning on him. Yosuke was silent. Very silent. Something that Crystal also noticed, since she was looking at him oddly.

"Hey, Yosuke? You okay?"

"Huh. Oh, yeah...", Yosuke said quietly.

Crystal looked at him for a moment, before punching him in the shoulder. He stumbled as he tried to keep both him and Yosuke from falling to the ground. At least Yosuke was awake now.

"Oww! What did you do that for!?", he cried out.

"You're moping. Stop".

"I'm not-"

"Yes you are! So stop. Just because your Shadow was like that doesn't mean that you're actually like that. Your more than it. So stop moping!".

Yosuke blinked in surprise, before shaking his head.

"I guess I am moping, huh?", Yosuke said with a small smile, shaking his head.

"Yes, you are. Feeling better?", she asked.

"Yeah". Crystal grinned.

"You still smell like sake".

The grin disappeared immediately.

"Please don't remind me".

* * *

"Hey, Ted? Can I ask you something?", Yosuke asked when they got back to the studio.

"Yeah?"

"You said that this place was reality for those who are inside right? So the shopping district, and the weird room, were those places created when Senpai and the announcer came in here?"

"I don't know. This has never happened before. But those places where the were when their Shadows attacked them."

"Okay, so let me get this straight. Senpai and the announcer, they got thrown in here, right? So, unable to get out, they wander around. Then, their Shadows come out of them and kill them, right?"

"Well, kinda. Their Shadows wouldn't have attacked them until the fog lifted. Shadows usually ignore normal people, I dunno why they attacked you guys. Maybe because you were investigating, but until the fog lifted, they would have been safe. But when the fog lifts, the Shadows get really violent. I'm so scared when that happens, I can't help but hide!"

"So, if I had been stuck here until the fog lifted..."

"You're really lucky Sensei, me, and Crystal were here Yosuke".

Instead of being glad, Yosuke kicked at the ground angrily.

"Dammit. Senpai and the announcer were here all alone. No one could save them!", he said angrily.

He remained silent while Crystal frowned.

"We have to find who ever is throwing people in here, and stop them!", Yosuke said with conviction.

He nodded and Crystal pounded her fist in her open palm.

"Yeah we do".

"Well, the next time someone's thrown in here, you could save them", Teddie suggested.

They all looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?", he asked.

"Well, if someone gets thrown in here, they should be safe until the fog lifts so..."

"We could save them before that happens!", Yosuke finished the sentence.

They all smiled. Finally, a plan of action.

"Can I...ask you guys a question?", he said timidly.

"Sure", Crystal said.

"Well, if Shadows were born from humans, then what was Teddie born from?". Crystal frowned.

"I...Don't think I have the answer for that"

"How should we know?", Yosuke asked.

"Don't you know?", he asked.

"I know a lot of stuff about this world, but almost nothing about myself".

"Really? No wonder we couldn't get anything straight out of you", Yosuke said. There was a moment of silence, before Teddie spoke up again.

"Will you guys come back?", he asked hesitantly.

"Of course. We have a job to do", he said.

"You guys will keep your word?", Teddie asked, surprised.

"Of course. After all, you said you wouldn't let us out unless you promised", Yosuke said jokingly.

"O-Oh right. I'll let you guys out now", Teddie said, making the TV's appear again.

"Now, one more thing before guys go. You have to enter from the same place"

"You mean the TV in Junes?", he asked. Teddie nodded.

"You could come in from a different place. But then you might enter an area where I can't get to you. And then you'd be doooooomed", Teddie said, with an extra long 'ooooo'.

"Got it?".

They nodded.

"Okay, so we should check and make sure there aren't any customers or employee's outside...", Yosuke said.

Teddie had other plans. "Okay then, now go on!", he said, and before they could do anything, he pushed them through the TVs.

* * *

They landed on the floor of Junes, right infront of the TV. And Super-Worry mode Chie.

"Y-You guys came back!", Chie said, wiping her eyes.

Her eyes were red, and tears ran down her face.

"Huh? Chie? Whoa, what's with that face?", Yosuke asked.

Chie went from Super-Worry mode to Super-Enraged mode. She got up, and for a second he braced himself for a kick. Instead, she threw the rope at them, and in their tired state, they both fell to the floor.

"The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck!", Chie yelled at the top of her lungs.

He thanked their luck that nobody seemed to be around. Chie started sniffling.

"The rope got cut...I had no idea what to do! I was worried sick-I mean scared stiff damn it! I hate you guys!", she screamed, before briskly running off.

Crystal helped Yosuke and him get up.

"I think that might have sort have been our fault", Yosuke said with a wince.

"Rest assured, it completely was", Florence said, looking at them with piercing eyes.

"She was worried out of her mind", he chided them.

They all remained silent, Crystal looking down.

"You should apologize to her tomorrow". Florence's gaze softened.

"Are you guys oka-".

He suddenly stopped and took a sniff, before looking at Crystal questioningly.

"Got knocked into a wall of alcohol", she muttered sullenly.

"You guys can come to my house to freshen up", Yosuke offered,

"I'm completely wiped out. I'm just going to soak in the shower before going to sleep. I think...I'm going to sleep well tonight", he said with a smile.

Florence shook his head. "I'll take her back home"

"You sure? People are going to notice she smells like sake".

Florence just smiled before putting an arm over his sister's shoulder.

"We'll be fine".

The two walked away, Crystal tossing them a wave, before turning a corned into an aisle. He felt a sudden chill, before shaking his head and turning to Yosuke.

"I think I'll take you up on your offer".

* * *

After freshening up at Yosuke's house, and making sure Yosuke fell asleep on the bed instead of drowning in the shower, he left the Hanamura abode and left for home. It had started to drizzle again, which made him thank the forethought of bringing his umbrella. He walked along the river bank road, before seeing someone. It was Yukiko in a pink kimono, taking shelter under a tree, looking at the parasol and then the rain worriedly. He walked up so her. "Need a hand?"

After leading Yukiko to a nearby gazebo, they both sat down. Yukiko was silent, seemingly nervous.

"Are you surprised to see me like this?", she asked after a while. He shook his head, before tilting it.

"My parents sent me out on an errand".

And she needed to wear a kimono for it?

"So...are you getting used to your new town and school?"

"Kind of. I think I like it here".

Indeed, Inaba was somehow different places he had been.

"Oh, really? But it most be difficult, moving to a place you know nothing about. I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school".

They fell into silence again.

"Are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so...umm".

She seemed to be getting increasingly nervous.

"Well, I'm kinda getting along with her". At least until half an hour ago.

"I'm glad to hear that", she said with a smile.

"Chie's very supportive you know. It's always her that gives me that little extra push. We had homeroom last year too, and I still remember how we'd cut classes sometimes".

Yukiko smiled at the memory, before looking at the now ended rain.

"I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with out head chef".

Yukiko gat up and waved goodbye, before walking away. He got up after some time, and headed back home.

* * *

It was only Nanako and him at dinner tonight. The news report was about the case. Specifically the murder of Saki Konishi.

"Dad won't be coming home tonight", Nanako said softly.

He frowned.

"I'll be here with you", he said, trying to cheer her up.

"I'll be fine. Can you help me with around the house?"

"Of course".

Just then, the case changed into an interview about the Amagi Inn. With Yukiko as the poor soul at the end of the far to enthusiastic interviewers questions. Yukiko was wearing the same kimono he had seen her with.

"That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors!".

At this point, he was contemplating reaching into the TV and punching the interviewer, before realizing it wasn't a live interview. Darn. The more the interviewer kept rambling, the more Yukiko got confused.

"This is boring", Nanako said.

"I agree".

She turned off the TV and got up.

"I need to go do the dishes" "I'll help"

* * *

**Crystal**

She dried her hair as she stepped out of the warm bath. Damn vile liquid. How humans standed it, she never knew. After putting on her clothes, she went into the main room and commenced eating the simple dinner of rice with Florence. After regaling him with the tale of the TV, she finished off her dinner.

"Quite a tale", her brother said.

She just hummed.

"What's wrong?".

She looked at her brother in surprise.

"What?"

"Something's bothering you? What?".

She looked at the wall for a while.

"The fight today would've been a piece of cake if I just used my powers, but Souji and Yosuke were there...So how do we explain it?"

"Explain what?"

"Our powers, our natures, everything! We have to use our powers eventually, and they'll ask. So what do we do?"

"Hmm"

"I guess I'm just afraid that they'll be weirded out or something..."

"I wouldn't worry about that".

She looked at him in surprise.

"Huh?"

"Chie was worried about all three of you. I think that while they might be weirded out, they'll still stand with us. And considering what happened today...Weird could soon become the norm".

She tilted her head, mulling over his words.

"I guess...", she said, still doubtfully.

* * *

**Souji**

` It was 11:55, and raining. Hence, he wasn't asleep. He stood in front of the TV, waiting to see if something to appear. It did. The TV suddenly flickered to life, and a blurry image appeared. It looked like a woman...wearing a kimono? He looked closely, before suddenly getting an idea. He reached into the TV, but the image disappeared immediately. He sighed. That didn't work. Well, the only thong left to do was to meet up with the others tomorrow. Feeling incredibly sleepy, he went to bed, hopping for a goodnights rest.

* * *

"Welcome to the Velvet Room".

* * *

**"That was a rather intense fight"**

**'Was it really?'**

**"Well...Perhaps not. But the Shadow..."**

**Reflections of Humanities darkest corners. **

**'Yup'**

**"So, what are the Shadows-"**

**'Hey, look. We're in the ending'**

**"So we are Sir"**

**Let's just stop right now and let the audience leave. And your question about Shadow's will be answered in due course.**


	7. Chapter 7:The Magician and The Queen

**'Nothing much to say this time. Any announcements?'**

**"None as I can see Sir. Lady?"**

**None for today. Go one with the disclaimer**

The author only owns his original ideas and characters. Persona 4 belongs to Atlus and its creators

* * *

**Chapter 7:The Magician and The Queen**

**Souji**

He blinked in shock. "Igor?".

Igor chuckled, sinister as always.

"Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world. I have summoned you within your dreams. And so we meet again", Igor said, almost gleefully.

"This is a room that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter. In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice, thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your powers", Margaret said, almost as if she had rehearsed the lines.

"What am I doing he-"

"Hold on to this".

Igor snapped his fingers, and a key suddenly appeared in his hand. He fumbled a bit, before looking at the key closely. It was made of a light blue material and glowed the same shade of Velvet Blue that was the Velvet Room.

"From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room", Igor said, opening his arms as if to welcome him.

"Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance...You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make".

He nodded. "I understand".

"Very well", Igor said, seemingly pleased, "The Persona you have acquired. It is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you could think of it as...a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability however is different. It is that of the Wild Card. Compared to that of others, it is special. It is like the number zero...".

He raised an eyebrow.

"Like zero?"

"Yes. Empty, yet holding infinite potential within itself", Igor said mysteriously.

"Empty?"

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart, and the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form genuine bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities"

"I...I'm not quite sure I get it".

Margaret spoke up.

"Social Links are necessary for more than just strengthening your Persona. At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for".

"Where will your awakened power of the Wild Card take you? I look forward to traveling this road of destiny together", Igor chuckled. "Till we meet again".

Before he could say anything else, the Velvet room faded away, and he woke up.

* * *

"Yo!".

He turned around on hearing Yosuke. Yosuke was on his back, pedaling towards him. He braced himself for a crash, only for Yosuke to stop in front of him.

"You saw what was on last night, right?"

"Yeah. It looked like a woman"

"Yeah. I couldn't make out who it was, but if someone's shown up on the TV, we can't just ignore it. Let's go check it out after school. Maybe Teddie can tell us something". Yosuke sighed.

"If it turns out someone was thrown in again, then there really might be a culprit behind all this. Even if it's the world itself that's killing people, using it as a weapon is unforgivable. We need to find the culprit, no matter what it takes!", Yosuke said with convection.

"I mean, the police would never believe us, so it has to be us"

"You're right. It has to be us".

Yosuke smiled. "Cool. It's reassuring to hear someone else say it".

Yosuke looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "You know what? I tried sticking my hand into the TV last night, the way you did? And it actually worked!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess it's because I have a Persona. I wonder how we got it? Maybe someone gave it to us to solve the class?", Yosuke mused.

"Then again, you managed to go into the TV and get your Persona first".

Yosuke turned to him. "I feel like, as long as you're with me, we can find the killer and crack this case! So, let's do our best!", Yosuke said with a grin.

He smiled too, and they shook hands. As soon as he did that, he suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering. Time stopped and all he heard was his heartbeat. What was-. A tarot card suddenly appeared in front of him, before turning over. On it was the roman numeral one and the image of someone gazing into a flame they held in their hands

_"Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Has Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Be Blessed When Creating Persona's Of The Magician Arcana"_.

His thought process went into overdrive. Was this what Igor meant be bonds of the heart? Was this a Social Link? He was too busy thinking to notice time restarting, until Yosuke broke him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, Dude? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine"

"You sure? You were staring off into space there for a minute?"

"I was just...thinking".

Yosuke shook his head, and they continued to school.

* * *

**Crystal**

She simply leaned back in her desk as Souji and Yosuke were talking about something. She looked at them. Could she really tell them? When would they need to know? What would she tell them? Her thoughts were broken by Chie, who had just entered the class and ran up to them.

"Oh, uh, Chie...", Yosuke started.

"We're really sorry about making you worry yesterday".

She and Souji nodded.

"Never mind that. Is Yukiko not here yet?". Chie interrupted.

"Huh? Yukiko-san? No, I haven't seen her today".

Chie looked at her and Souji pleadingly."What about you two?"

"I didn't see her today", she said.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday", Souji said.

"Oh man, what should I do?", Chie said worriedly.

"Hey, is that stuff you were talking for real? You know, all that stuff about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world?"

"Oh, we were just talking about that. We were thinking about checking it out late-"

"I think the person who was on the Midnight Channel last night was Yukiko".

Yosuke became silent as he looked at Chie in surprise.

"What makes you think that?", she asked, leaning towards her, fully paying attention.

"Well, that kimono the figure was wearing looked like the one she wears at the Inn, and she wore it during that interview a few days ago too".

Souji looked like he had just swallowed something bitter.

"She was wearing that kimono yesterday too", he said softly.

"W-Was she?"

"Okay, let's all calm down here", Yosuke interrupted not sounding calm at all.

She stood up. "Have you tried contacting her?", she asked firmly. Panic would do nothing right now.

"Yeah. I emailed her last night, but she hasn't responded. And I called her earlier in the evening though, and she said she'd be at school today. I-I-"

"Calm down. You still haven't heard from her?", Souji said calmly.

"No".

She thought for a moment.

"Hey. I think we should tell her about what happened yesterday", she suggested, looking at Souji. Souji nodded.

"Well, it started when we met the bear, Teddie, again..."

* * *

"What's that supposed to mean!?".

Oddly enough, their story didn't calm Chie down.

"Are you saying Yukiko's been thrown in there!?". Chie looked like she was on the verge of bolting towards the Junes electronic store.

"We don't know for sure. I'm just saying that it's a possibility. We should check to see if she's safe first", Souji said.

"Calm down", she told her.

Chie took a deep breath before calming down.

"Maybe she should try calling her again?", Yosuke suggested.

"Right".

Chie took out what she presumed was a phone, before calling Yukiko. They all waited in tense silence. Chie shook her head.

"No good, her voicemail picked up!".

Yosuke closed his eyes. "Are you serious? Then is Yukiko-san inside that place?".

She punched Yosuke. "Not the time now", she hissed, glancing at Chie.

"S-Stop it! Something must've come up, like an errand or something!", Chie snapped at Yosuke.

Then her face lit up with realization.

"Oh! Maybe she's helping out at the Inn! She wouldn't be able to answer her cell if that's it"

"But would she skip school for that?", Souji asked.

Chie scowled.

"Well, I'll give the Inn a call. Ummm...I've got the number somewhere here...".

Chie put the phone to her ear. They waited again, hoping that Yukiko was alright. Then...

"Oh, is this Yukiko?", Chie smiled.

They breathed a sigh of relief.

"Uh huh. Uh huh. I see".

She closed the phone, the relieved smile on here face telling everything.

"She was at the Inn. Apparently there was some sort of big group reservation and she had to help out. Now that I think about it, this has happened before too. At least once a year. She said she'd be at the Inn tomorrow too".

The smile left her face as she walked up to Yosuke.

"For crying out loud Yosuke! You got me worried for nothing! She was totally fine!", Chie snapped at him. She then proceeded to mock him.

"And you were all like, 'Is Yukiko-san inside that place?' ", Chie said, imitating Yosuke's voice.

"Well, it was a legitimate concern", she said.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"We thought that people appear on the Midnight Channel if they're in the TV, but Yukiko-san's still here, in our world".

She couldn't resist humming a tune of one of her brother's songs at that.

"We might want to check with Teddie later today", Souji suggested.

"Right. We'll all meet up at Junes after school, got it?".

She gave a lazy thumbs up.

"Got it".

* * *

**Souji**

He took out his bento-box, only to look behind him to see Crystal lying face down on her desk.

"Anything wrong?".

She looked up at him in surprise. "Guh?"

"You seem dull"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just forgot my lunch. No big deal", she said with a shrug.

He looked at her in surprise. Maybe that extra large lunch he accidentally made wouldn't go to waste after all.

"You can take some of mine".

Crystal blinked at him owlishly.

"Huh? There's no need to do that. I can function perfectly fine without lunch"

"I accidentally made some extra. Don't worry so much"

"...Well. I suppose..."

"We can go up to the roof"

"What's the lunch?"

"Sandwiches"

"...You talked me into it", Crystal said smiling, getting up from her desk.

* * *

"This. Is. Really. Good".

He ate his own sandwich as he watched Crystal finish of her own in two bites.

"I thought you said were only kind of good at cooking"

"I'm not that good"

"Liar".

Crystal finished off her third sandwich, and lied down on the roof.

"Hey. Souji? I need to talk about something".

He looked at her.

"Go ahead".

She was silent for a moment. "It's about the case", she said finally, turning her head to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"What I mean is, what is your plan for it?"

"I...don't actually have a plan. I suppose find the killer and apprehend him".

Crystal chuckled. "Straightforward and blunt. Not a bad plan".

She picked up a stone and looked at it intently.

"Why are you doing it? The case I mean".

He blinked. What an...interesting question. He considered it for a while.

"I suppose it's because it's the right thing to do"

"And?"

"We have the power to stop it...So it's our responsibility"

"Anything else?"

"Besides the normal platitudes of doing good for goods sake?".

Crystal started to laugh.

"I thought Trace and Tracey were the only one's to use the word platitude".

She put the rock in the pouch she was carrying.

"And you?", he asked.

Crystal looking at the sky in contemplation for a moment, before turning to him.

"Same reasons. I can stop things like this, so why shouldn't I? It's a responsibility".

She put her hand out suddenly.

"Well, let's agree to do our best to solve this case, yeah?".

He nodded and shook her hand. As soon as he did that, time froze as glass shattered again. Another Social Link? A card appeared in front of him. Unlike the Magician, it was a card of a regal woman with a coin in front of her.

_"Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Hast Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Though Shalt Be Blessed By The Queen Of Pentacles"_.

He felt Izanagi stir inside his mind, before the flow of time started again. Crystal rubbed her forehead, wincing.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah...Just fine. Do you have any of those sandwiches left?"

* * *

They were standing in front of the TV in Junes. He and Crystal were explaining in detail what happened in the TV last time.

"Okay, I think that's enough of my sorry escapades", Yosuke interrupted.

"Sorry".

"If it wasn't for the fact that I saw that world, I would have never believed that story", Chie said.

Florence had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Shadows...".

Yosuke clapped his hands.

"Now that everyone has been brought to speed, it's time to see what's going on".

"How? By talking to that Teddie guy?".

He nodded. Yosuke looked around the electronic department, which was currently filled with people, before frowning.

"Crap. I forgot we had a sale in the electronic department today. There's way too many people to just stick your hand in the TV".

Yosuke cupped his chin.

"Hmm...I got an idea! We'll form a wall around you".

Yosuke walked to the side of the TV.

"Just stick your hand in the TV and see if you can get Teddie's attention. We'll block everyone's view of it".

He walked up to the TV, while everyone surrounded him.

"Nothing weird about five people crowding around a TV", Florence said dryly.

He stuck his hand in the TV and started waving it around. Hopefully Teddie was ther-

*CRUNCH*.

He recoiled back and looked at the rivulets of blood running down his hand in surprise. Did he just-? .

"Wh-What's wrong?", Yosuke asked.

"Is that a bite mark? Hold on, you're bleeding", Chie said with concern.

He rubbed his hand.

"It appears I am".

He caught their concerned looks.

"I'm fine. Don't worry".

Chie became relieved.

"Good".

Then she turned to the TV and started to hiss at it.

"Hey, you! We know you're in there!".

There was a moment of silence.

"Ooh, ohh, is this a game?", Teddie's voice was distorted.

"No, it isn't! Tell us, is anyone in there?"

"Whose 'anyone'? I'm just a lonely little bear. This world is so...bear-en", Teddie said, chuckling at his own pun. Chie was less than amused.

"Shut it! So there's no one inside? You sure?"

"I'm not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!".

Chie remained silent for a while, before turning to them.

"I'm going to go warn Yukiko anyway".

"Good idea. You'll walk her to school on Monday, right?", Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, I'll pick her up at her house"

"Good. Maybe we'll find more about this on tonight's Midnight Channel. It's raining tonight, right?".

He nodded.

"I checked the weather report".

"Let's just hope this is a misunderstanding".

Chie left with a wave, leaving him, Yosuke, and Florence behind. He looked around.

"Where's Crystal?". Florence glanced at him.

"She left to go gat something. She'll be back soon".

He nodded and started to rub his hand again. It was still bleeding.

"Hey, are you sure you're fine?", Yosuke asked.

"Yeah. It just stings a bit". Yosuke remained silent for a moment.

"Hey, we should exchange phone numbers". He looked at Yoduke in surprise, before nodding. They took out their cell phones and exchanged numbers. He looked at his contact list. His parents, his uncle, and then Yosuke. He shook his head before putting his phone away.

"We should probably exchange numbers too", Yosuke told Florence.

"Can't. We don't have any phones"

"Really?".

Florence shook his head.

"Uh, is anyone there?".

They looked at the TV again as Teddie spoke up again.

"Anyone?"

"We're still here"

"Oh. Is there anything else you need?".

Yosuke shook his head.

"Not really"

"Oh. Okay...Well, I'll guess I'll see you guys later...".

The TV became silent.

"Hey, I'm back".

He looked up to see Crystal walk through the aisles. Holding a packet of bandages.

"Thought you could use those", she said with a smile, tossing them to him.

"Thanks".

* * *

He looked out of the window. It was raining. The clock ticked as it neared closer to 12:00. He closed the curtains, and sat in front of the TV. While he really hoped that this whole Yukiko thing was a misunderstanding, he had a bad feeling. The clock struck 12:00, and the TV started to fizz to life. He leaned closer, only to recoil as a perfectly clear image of Yukiko in a princess ball gown appeared.

"Good Evening!"

* * *

**Author: Uh, Hello there. I suppose I should introduce myself. The StoneMasked Taliesin at your service. And it would appear I'm later than the three nararators I hired. Uh, don't tell them that. Anyway, the reason for the week of no updates was because of tests. Which is also the reason for the updates this week. However, because of this, not only do you get a chapter of this story, you get two chapters of another story. This story should explain more about the Other Side of these stories. And as my sibling said, I should have posted it before this one. Oops. So, remember, check the Other Side (link in Profile), and also remember to check the profile to get updates on things happening. Also, pay attention to the Years. They're there to tell you the chronology of the story.**

**Now then, it's time for this long author note to end. Remember to give constructive criticism, no flames, and enjoy the stories. **


	8. Chapter 8: Princess Yukiko

**"Hmm"**

**'Anything wrong?'**

**"It's just the title. Is she an actual princess?"**

**'Well...'**

**She isn't**

**'Not quite'**

**"Hmm"**

The author doesn't own Persona 4, which belongs to it's creators. The author only owns the original ideas and original characters

* * *

**Chapter 8:Princess Yukiko**

**Souji**

He looked at the screen in shock. What was on the screen was not the staticy image before, but something that looked like a TV show. With Yukiko dressed up in a pink ballgown, decorated with roses. She wore pink arm-length gloves and a golden tiara. While coming to terms with what he was looking at, Yukiko twirled around, holding a microphone to her mouth.

"Good evening!", she said cheerfully.

He blinked in surprise. This Yukiko seemed far more peppy than the reserved Yukiko he knew.

"Welcome to Not a Dream, Not a Hoax: Princess Yukiko's hunt for her Prince Charming!".

He raised an eyebrow. What?

"And I came prepared~!", Yukiko chirped sweetly, before doing something that she showed no embarrassment or hesitation in doing. She put a hand over her groin, before the camera panned up to her cleavage.

His other eyebrow immediately joined the first.

"I've got my lacy unmentionables stacked from top to bottom! And my heart is ready to go!," she cried out, forming her hands in a heart shape over her chest as the camera zoomed out.

"I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is going to be all mine!", she said, before turning around.

"Well, gotta go!", she called out, before running towards the castle in the background. The TV screen went black immediately after, and the room was silent.

PI PI PI PI PI PI!

He calmly lifted his phone.

"Yes?"

"H-Hey, did you see that!?", Yosuke asked from the other end.

He was silent for a moment, before answering.

"Yeah. It was Amagi-san for sure"

"Well, yeah it looked like her. But the things she said...Yukiko-san would never say things like that"

"Lacy unmentionables...", he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Focus!"

"It was different this time"

"Yeah, it looked like some low budget TV show. It wasn't like this before"

"So, have you tried to contact Amagi-san?"

"Oh, uh, I don't have her number"

"...Have you tried contacting Chie?"

"Oh, good idea. She can contact Yukiko-san. Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet up in the Junes Food Court" "Got it"

* * *

**Crystal**

The living room was silent for a moment as the TV screen went black.

"Was it like this before?", Florence asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No. It wasn't", she said slowly. "Which begs the question, what in the world was that?", she asked, looking at her brother.

Her brother sighed, closing his eyes.

"I could tell you, but you're too young"

"I'm your older sister!"

"And I am three years older than you", Florence said calmly, getting up and walking away.

She frowned before laying down on the ground. What in heavens did she mean by harem?

* * *

**Souji**

He closed the door, still feeling guilty about leaving Nanako home alone, before walking to Junes. On the way, he saw two familiar faces.

"Well, where do we go?"

"Junes seems a good a bet as any"

. He walked up to Crystal and Florence, who were too busy in their conversation to notice him.

"Hey".

They turned to him in surprise.

"Oh, hey Souji".

Crystal was wearing a green pinafore over a black shirt, and a short green skirt. She had bandages wrapped around her fists. Florence on the other hand was wearing a black suit with a green tie, looking crisp and prim. With the suit on, he seemed to look a bit older.

"You're right about Junes. Yosuke told us to meet at the food court".

Florence glanced at Crystal.

"See?"

"Whatever. Let's get to Junes".

They started to walk, Florence walking ahead. Crystal walked behind him.

"So...You saw last night's Midnight Channel, right?", Crystal asked.

He nodded.

"You mind telling me what in the world Yukiko was talking about? Florence wouldn't tell me".

He glanced at Crystal, thinking she was joking, only to see a genuinely curious expression on her face. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't think I should tell you..."

* * *

Yosuke walked into the Junes food court a few minutes after they had sat down at the table. His hands were behind his back, and he was grinning.

"Sorry for the hold up", Yosuke said.

"What took you?", he asked.

Yosuke's smile got wider.

"Well, I found some stuff in the closet at home we could use", Yosuke said, before showing what was behind his back.

A katana and a nata.

"Our Persona's are good, but a golf club is hardly a good weapon. So, which one do you want?"

"I'd prefer the katana, but that's not the point. You can't carry weapons out in public!", he hissed.

Crystal was looking at Yosuke in surprise, while Florence was giving him a bland look.

"Don't worry, the blades are fake. As for me...perhaps both?".

Yosuke then started to swing the blades around, ignoring the looks they were giving him.

Florence apparently had enough.

"Enough! Stop swinging those around", Florence said, before grabbing the blades away.

"Hey! Why'd you do that?"

"Because you shouldn't swing swords around like a lunatic, or else you'll attract-", Crystal stopped as a police officer suddenly walked towards them. Florence hid the blades behind his back.

"Alright, you there! Stop what you're doing and put you're hands up!", the cop said.

Yosuke immediately started waving his hands.

"We weren't doing anything"

"A-Are you resisting an officer of the law? Put you're hands up now!", the cop ordered.

He nudged Yosuke before he could dig them in deeper, before putting his hands up, looking at Florence.

He could see them being dragged to the police station. He hoped Dojima wasn't there. Yosuke and Crystal followed suit. The cop looked at Florence, who sighed before putting his arms up...sans the blades.

He and Yosuke looked at him in surprise.

"As you can see, we were doing nothing suspicious", Florence said calmly. The cop seemed to be at a loss for words, and another, older cop walked up to them.

"Are you bothering people again?", the older cop asked. The younger one scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The older cop sighed, before turning to them.

"Sorry about my partner. He can get jittery sometimes. You kids should be careful. Haven't you heard about the recent deaths? Tensions are running", the cop said, before walking away, followed by the younger cop. They only relaxed when the cops were out of sight.

"...That was close. Sorry about that", Yosuke said nervously. He sighed.

"It's fine".

Yosuke nodded before turning to Florence.

"What in the world did you do?"

"A sleight of hand". He looked at Florence in surprise.

"A sleight of hand? How?", Yosuke asked.

Florence just smiled. "A magician never reveals their secrets".

Florence then took out a coin from his pocket, before holding it in front of them. He rolled it around his fingers, and opening his hands. No coin.

"Check your pocket", Florence told him.

He raised an eyebrow, before putting his hand in his pocket...and finding a coin.

He looked at the coin in shock for a moment, before looking at Florence. Florence had a small smile.

"Whoa...", Yosuke said.

Crystal punched her brother's shoulder.

"Stop showing off".

"There you guys are!".

They turned to see Chie running up to them.

"Chie? What's wrong?", Yosuke asked.

"I went to Yukiko's house, and she isn't there!", she yelled.

"Then she really is in the TV", he said.

"You guys have to let me go with you!", Chie pleaded.

"What?"

"I see no reason for her not to join", Florence said.

"...Fine. But you have to stay behind us and listen. I'm serious, that place is dangerous", Yosuke warned.

Chie just nodded.

"You think you can give us back our weapons?", Yosuke asked.

"...", Florence was silent, before taking out something from behind his back. Said something was revealed to be a broken katana.

"I had to do it quickly. It's hard to hid something that large", Florence defended himself.

Yosuke groaned.

"Great. Now where are we gonna get weapons?".

Chie perked up. "Weapons? I know just the place!"

* * *

"Here we are!", Chie announced.

They were standing in front of a shop in the shopping district, called Daidara's Metalworks. He could hear the sound of hammering from the inside.

"A metalworks?", Crystal said.

Yosuke turned to Chie.

"How in the world do you know about this place? Oh, I get it. You watched one too many kung-fu movies, and-"

"That's not it! I just overheard two guys talking about it at school!", Chie said.

"Well, let's not just stand in front of the store", he said, before entering the store.

They walked up to the counter.

"Is anyone here?", he asked.

There was a pause in the hammering, before someone grunted.

"Be right there".

A man suddenly stepped from the back, and stood behind the counter. He was an old man, with orange hair and a large X-shaped scar across his face. He was wearing a large thick apron, and had a piece of scrap metal in his hands. The man regarded them.

"The name's Daidara. I'm the master of this metalworks, dedicated to making works of art. Why are you here?".

They glanced at each other. Just telling him that they wanted to buy weapons seemed like a bad idea.

"W-Well-"

"We were just going to train. Spar you know", Crystal said.

Daidara glanced at her, before staring at him, cupping his chin.

"You taken kendo before?", Daidara asked.

He nodded. Daidara grunted.

"I see. So you want to continue. Let me see...This should do it".

Daidara handed him a sheathed katana.

"It's just an imitation keep in mind, so the blade is dulled. Now then, you with the headphones"

"Me?", Yosuke asked.

Daidara just nodded.

Yosuke stepped up nervously. Daidara scanned him, before grunting and taking something from beneath the counter.

"Here", Daidara said, tossing Yosuke a pair of monkey wrenches.

"Wrenches?", Yosuke asked.

"I wouldn't trust you with anything sharp yet", Daidara said. Yosuke made a face, but said nothing.

Chie stepped up.

"Anything for me?".

Daidara stared at her, before giving her some steel-toed boots.

"You're a martial artist. Think you can use these?".

Chie just smiled and nodded.

"And what about you two?, Daidara said, looking at Florence and Crystal.

Crystal shook her head, cracking her knuckles.

"I use my fists. I don't need anything"

"Neither do I".

Daidara just shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now then, as for the price...Just because I feel good today, I'll give you a discount. 6,000 yen total". He just nodded and paid for the items, ignoring his now empty wallet.

"We'll head to the electronics department. You try to carry that thing around town without getting in trouble", Yosuke said, still looking at his monkey wrenches, while Chie bounced around in her boots. Everybody left, leaving him with Daidara.

"Here", Daidara said, handing him a case," that should hold it. Free of cost".

He thanked Daidara and walked to the door.

"Hey kid! If you find any rare materials, go ahead and sell them to me. I'm always looking for new things to make art with, so if you find something you think I've never seen before, I'll make something special out of it", Daidara smiled.

He nodded, before walking out the door.

* * *

As he walked out the door, he suddenly felt something in his pocket. He pulled it out, and found a familiarly blue colored key. That wasn't there before...He shielded his eyes as a flash of light suddenly blinded him. He blinked away spots, before looking at the odd blue colored door on the wall that was most definitely not there before. He looked around. Nobody seemed to notice it.

"So it finally begins...", a voice echoed in his head, "Now if you'll give me a moment of your time".

The key started to glow, and he heard the sound of a doorknob turning before white filled his eyes.

* * *

When the light waned, he found himself in the Velvet Room. Margaret and Igor were there as always, but somebody else was here to. Somebody he recognized. Asides from the blue hat and handbag, she was wearing the exact same outfit, and she looked at him with an unfriendly face. It was definitely the girl from the train station. Why was she here?

"We have been expecting you", Igor started, still grinning with that mad glint in his eye.

"The catastrophe that is headed your way...It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you. But you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems the time for you to use your Persona has come"

"Your Persona ability is that of the Wild Card. If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that", Margaret stated.

"My contribution is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into new form. In other words, it is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Persona, and to use them accordingly", Igor said.

He remained silent, trying to take it all in.

"When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, but you must master your fear and reach out to them. When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Personas will accordingly grow".

It would seem these Social Links were very important.

"They will be your chief sources of strength. You would do well to take this to heart".

...Could Igor read minds? Igor glanced at Margaret, who cleared her throat before opening the tome she always held.

"The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. You may register Persona within it to recall them at any time. For a price of course", Margaret stated.

"Oh, and one more thing. I would like to introduce the newest resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey", Margaret said, turning to the girl.

The girl just gave an unfriendly 'hmph'.

Margaret frowned. "...Marie?".

So that was her name.

"Yeah, I can hear", Marie snapped at Margaret.

"Nice to meet you", Marie told him.

He ignored the rudeness, and just stared at her.

"...Do you remember me?", he asked.

"Huh?" "We've met before", he stated.

"Hmm Ohhh...Maybe. That would explain why you're so familiar", Marie said, making a face.

Margaret sighed.

"Please excuse Marie. Her soul is very young, and-"

"Shut up! Don't tell him anymore about me than you need to!"

"As you can see", Margaret continued, pursing her lips, "She can be brusque at times. Please understand that she is only an apprentice and forgive her impoliteness".

He nodded. He didn't mind. It was a refreshing change from Igor and Margaret.

"Marie will be dealing with 'Skill Cards'", Margaret explained, "Using these cards will allow you to provide you're Personas with new powers. I'm sure she will also help you form a bind between yourself and the 'outside world'. Marie will contact you at a later date. Please feel free to speak with her when you wish to use her services".

Marie just huffed and looked at the floor.

"Do you recall my words to you before?", Igor asked.

"Which ones?"

"'The coming year is a turning point in your destiny'. If the mystery goes unsolved, you future may be forever lost. I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not only way your journey may come to an end...Please do not forget this", Igor said warningly.

"I won't".

Igor's grin widened. "When we meet again, you will come here of you're own free will. Until then...".

* * *

**Florence**

He watched as Souji walked towards them.

"Dude, what took you so long?", Yosuke asked.

"Something came up", Souji said, before walking up to the TV.

"Ready?".

Everyone nodded, and Souji quickly stuck his hand in the TV, before entering, followed by everyone else.

His second landing into the TV world was far more graceful than the first. And Yosuke managed not to land flat on his face.

He watched as the bear from before walked out of the fog.

"Hey Teddie", Yosuke said, putting on a pair of glasses.

"What's going on?"

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking. About stuff. I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now", Teddie said with a frown. Then he started to chuckle. "Oh, that was a good one". He internally sighed. Chie interrupted.

"This is no time for jokes! Where's Yukiko!?. Has a girl been in here since yesterday?"

"Wow, a girl with a better nose than me? What's your name?"

"Oh, uh, Chie. But never mind that! Tell me, has anybody been here?"

"Yeah. After you guys left, somebody was tossed in here"

"Is it Yukiko!?"

"I don't know. I didn't try to find them. Who's Yukiko?"

"Just tell me where they are!".

Teddie nervously pointed in a direction, and Chie ran off.

"Damn it Chie! Get back here!", Yosuke yelled. They quickly followed her before she could get too far ahead.

* * *

He looked at where they ended up. A large castle. Chie was similarly surprised.

"What!? A castle?"

"It was in the background of Yukiko's Midnight Channel", Souji noted.

Crystal had closed her eyes, but was grinning like a maniac. Woe betide anything that tried to attack her sister.

"Hey, Teddie? Is this place like before? With Senpai?"

"Yeah. This is reality for those who are here"

"So, was someone filming here for the Midnight Channel?".

"I don't think that's it", Souji said.

Teddie confirmed his statement.

"What's this filming thing?".

Yosuke sighed.

"Okay, well if it isn't being filmed, then what's causing it?"

"Maybe we're just seeing what's happening. Like a window", he mused.

Souji and Yosuke looked at him.

"That sounds plausible", Souji said.

"I mean, a TV screen's basically glass, right?", Crystal said.

"But the first time Yukiko appeared, she was still in our world", Souji noted.

"I can't explain that", he said, shaking his head.

He looked back at the castle. If he concentrated enough, he could feel shadows moving inside the castle. Whether they were shadows or Shadows remained to be seen.

"That wasn't Yukiko".

They looked at Chie.

"Yukiko would never say things like that. I mean, 'score myself a hot stud'? She'd never say that!"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Yukiko-san would never say stuff like that. I wonder...Is this like what happened to me?", Yosuke mused.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I think this 'channel' you're talking about is created because of the person who appears on it", Teddie suggested.

"So you're saying Yukiko made it?", Souji asked.

Teddie nodded.

"What's this 'scoring with a hot stud thing'?", Teddie asked.

"Yukiko's inside this castle, right?", Chie asked, ignoring Teddie.

They probably should of seen it coming, but before they could do anything, Chie ran inside.

"Not again! Get back here Chie!".

* * *

**Author: And we enter Yukiko's Castle. Those who played Persona 4 know what's about to happen. Remember to review and give constructive criticism. No flames. Just in case though, I need to get that asbestos...**


	9. Chapter 9: Shadow Chie

**'On to the next boss fight. Chie's rushed into the castle, and they'll soon pay the price'**

**"It's not all her fault. She's just worried about her friend. If you or milady were in danger, I'd do the same"**

**Still, that was a dangerous thing to do. The Reversed Chariot...**

**"?"**

**'You know what'd be good right now? Popcorn. Next time, I'm getting popcorn.**

The author doesn't own Persona 4, which belongs to it's creators. He only owns the original ideas and characters

* * *

**Chapter 9: Shadow Chie**

**Souji**

As soon as they entered the castle, Teddie gave a small 'urk'.

"What's wrong?", he asked.

"This place is swarming with Shadows", Teddie said nervously.

Yosuke paled.

"We've gotta find Chie, fast!".

They quickly made their way through the corridors of the castle, footsteps echoing. They turned the corner, only to see an unformed Shadow skulking about.

"Sensei, try to sneak up on it", Teddie whispered.

He made his way quietly towards the Shadow, unsheathing the Imitation Katana. Right as he was about to bring the katana on the Shadow, it turned a hundred-and-eighty degrees, looking at him straight in the eyes. He jumped back as the Shadow convulsed, before turning into three of the things he had fought before. A Lying Hablerie Teddie called them.

"I've got this! Persona!", Yosuke yelled, Jiraiya appearing behind him.

Jiraiya sent a gust of wind, blowing the Shadows back.

He quickly summoned Izanagi, and zapped one of them into goo.

Crystal quickly dashed forward, breaking a couple of the Shadows teeth, before being knocked by its tongue.

"You okay?", he asked.

"Perfectly fine", she said, wiping of saliva with a disgusted face.

She dashed forward again, punching the Shadow with her gauntlets. Right into Izanagi.

The Shadow never knew what happened.

"Time to finish this!", Yosuke said with a grin, as Jiraiya rushed towards the last Shadow. The Lying Hablerie licked it's lips and hissed, before all the sudden dissolving into goo.

"We better hurry", Florence said, twirling the scythe he held in his hands. A scythe that had bisected the Shadow as easily as butter. The scythe's blade was angled forty-five degrees, and easily taller than the boy.

Yosuke blinked in shock.

"Where did you get that!?", Yosuke asked, pointing at the scythe. Florence blinked.

"...metalworks?"

"No way. You get a scythe, and I get these?", Yosuke asked, brandishing his wrenches. Florence just looked at him, before twirling the scythe and imbedding it into the ground. Yosuke narrowed his eyes, before twirling a wrench and throwing it into the air. Said wrench hit him on the top of his head. He fumbled with the wrenches before catching them, giving them a sheepish look.

"...That is why you didn't get a weapon", he said simply.

"Hey, don't worry. If you get good enough, maybe you can get something else. Like, stone knives or something".

Yosuke just grumbled, and walked away, Jiraiya patting his back.

Crystal blinked.

"Did I say something wrong?, she asked.

He shook his head, before continuing on.

* * *

They managed to get to make it further for a while without running into a Shadow. That peace didn't last for long. Yosuke and Crystal finished off a Shadow as he and Florence took care of the other.

"This is starting to get annoying", Yosuke growled, "We have to get to Chie...quick?".

He turned around to see what Yosuke was starring at, only to see four cards floating in the air. He recalled Igor's words, and stepped forward. The cards circled around him, before flipping around, revealing a Sword, a Cup, a Wand, and...the Magician Arcana?

The cards flipped again, before shuffling rapidly and presenting themselves. He thought for a moment, before choosing one of the cards. The card dissolved into blue flames while the others disappeared. He felt Izanagi's presence move to the back of his mind as another presence entered. Izanagi disappeared, and in it's place..._Hello!_

* * *

He stared at the small red-haired fairy garbed in a blue dress floating in front of him.

_Pixie! I'm a Pixie!_, Pixie said with a frown, before smiling.

"You're another Persona?

" _Yep. And I'm here to help. Pleased to meet you!_

"What can you do?".

Yosuke interrupted before Pixie could answer.

"Dude? What is that?", Yosuke asked, pointing at Pixie.

"She's a Persona".

Yosuke was silent for a moment, while Crystal stared at Pixie with curiosity. Pixie waved.

"Dude, you should probably get Izanagi back out. We need a Persona that can actually_-_

_" Actually what? Fight? Well look here headphones, cause I can fight just fine!_. For emphasis, Pixie hit Yosuke with a small Zio.

Yosuke yelped.

"Ouch! No need to zap me, I get it...", Yosuke grumbled.

"You can talk". He and Pixie looked at Crystal.

_Of course I can. Why wouldn't I?. _

Crystal pointed to Jiraiya.

"They don't".

Pixie shrugged.

_They're just the strong silent type_ , Pixie said, shrugging.

Pixie hovered over his shoulder.

_As for what I can do..._, Pixie cupped her hands, and a small warm light appeared_. I can heal people with Dia and Me Patra, plus I'm not weak to Garu_

"...She's staying", he said. Pixie cheered and landed on his shoulder, while Yosuke grimaced.

"Come on", he said, before they ran deeper into the castle.

* * *

"Sensei, Chie-chan's close by!", Teddie said, sniffing the air. He nodded, and the hurried on. Only for a Shadow to ambush them . He jumped back as Jiraiya stood in front of them protectively, while Pixie left her position from his shoulder, and hovered around. Crystal took on a ready stance while Florence just adjusted his hat and sighed.

The Shadow turned into two more Lying Hableries, but this time a new Shadow joined the fray. This one resembled a dolphin made out of a ribbons. Pixie darted around and zapped one of the Lying Hableries, stunning it before it was finished by a solid uppercut from Crystal. Florence and Yosuke took care of the other Hablerie.

"Look out!". He jumped back as the ribbon dolphin suddenly dashed pat him, narrowly avoiding being hit.

He didn't avoid the tail to the face though.

He recoiled back, clutching his head as the world spun around him. In the corner of his vision, he saw Pixie spiral to the ground.

"Sensei's been dizzied!", Teddie warned, though the voice sounded warped and far away.

He tried to blink away the dizziness, and saw the Shadow charge at him again. Only to be knocked beside by Crystal.

"Jiraiya!".

Jiraiya launched a Garu at the Shadow, and it fell to the ground.

"Calm Pesce's are weak to Garu!", Teddie noted.

Jiraiya launched another Garu, and Crystal slammed the Shadow into the ground, finishing it. He steadied himself as the dizziness wore off.

Pixie landed on his shoulder again, looking slightly green around the gills. He blinked as cards swirled around him again.

"Another Persona? How can you hold multiple anyway?", Yosuke asked.

He watched as the cards shuffled themselves. "Wild Card. I'm apparently what you'd call a Wild Card", he said, choosing a card.

"So that means you can hold multiple Persona?", Crystal asked. He nodded as a presence entered his mind. Pixie flew off his shoulder and waved goodbye, before disappearing.

In her place was a young woman scantily clad with black clothe, large, pure white wings sprouting out of her back. She had long blond hair and pale skin, and was blindfolded. She wore a black choker with a chain attached to it. He followed the chain, only to see it was attached to a similar choker on his own neck. He lifted the chain in surprise. That wasn't there before_. _

_I am Angel. One of the watchers who never sleep. Are you in need of my assistance?_, Angel asked kindly.

He shook his head.

"Finally, someone else other than Pixie", Yosuke sighed.

He looked at him for a moment, before changing Persona. Angel and the choker disappeared as Pixie appeared, sticking her tongue out.

"Why'd you bring her out again?", Yosuke grimaced. Crystal looked at him oddly.

"What's wrong with Pixie?".

"We're keeping her out because we need someone to heal", he said.

Yosuke sighed but didn't complain, and took a step forward...only for Pixie to fly right in his face.

"What?"

_...You know you can use Dia too, right?_, Pixie asked.

Yosuke blinked owlishly, before turning to Jiraiya.

"We can?".

Jiraiya nodded.

"Why didn't you say something!".

Jiraiya shrugged, as if saying 'you never asked'. Crystal watched in amusement, while Florence talked to Teddie.

"Well, I guess we don't need you anymore", Yosuke said to Pixie.

Pixie glared at him, before looking at him worriedly. He simply walked ahead, before motioning to Pixie. Yosuke grumbled while Pixie cheered.

"Sensei! Chie-chan's on the next floor!", Teddie exclaimed.

They all glanced at each other, before hurrying on.

* * *

**Crystal**

The first thing they saw on the next floor was a large door. Said large door was opened by her punching it open. They ran inside. It was a large circular room, with a rich red carpet. And Chie stood in the center of it.

"Chie!", Yosuke called out.

Chie just stood there, unmoving.

"Chie?", her brother called out.

Chie remained unmoving.

She narrowed her eyes. Something wasn't right. Yosuke stepped forward, only for voices to fill the room, like the liquor store. Except this time, it was a single voice.

"She said red looks good on me...".

She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yukiko-san?", Yosuke asked, looking around. Souji narrowed his eyes.

"Yosuke, it's like the voices from the liquor store".

"Chie said red looks good on me...I hated my name. Yukiko. 'Snow'. Snow is cold and melts quickly. It's transient...worthless".

The amount of bitterness and sadness in Yukiko's tone was palpable, and she saw Florence flinch next to her.

"But it's perfect for me. Apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless. But still...Chie told me red looks good on me".

"Are these...Amagi-san's inner thoughts?", Yosuke asked, shocked.

"Yukiko...", Chie said in a small voice.

"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning. She's bright, and strong, and she can do anything...She has everything I don't. Compared to Chie, I'm...I'm...Chie protects me. She looks after my worthless life".

She nearly growled, while Florence narrowed his eyes. Nobody's life was worthless. Not even the bad guys.

"And, I don't deserve any of it. Chie's so kind...so perfect..."

"Yukiko...", Chie had tears streaming down her face,

"I-I..."

**" 'Chie's so kind', huh? What a joke"**.

They all snapped to attention as Chie wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. Cruel laughter filled the air, and suddenly another Chie stepped in front of Chie, venomous yellow eyes holding a glint of spitefulness.

"Is that-?", Yosuke asked.

"Her Shadow", Souji said grimly, putting a hand on his sword.

Teddie nodded. "She's lost control of her suppressed self!".

Shadow Chie started to laugh again**. **

**"Are we talking about that Yukiko? She's says I'm protecting her"**, Shadow Chie threw her head back and gave a bark of laughter, **"She says she's worthless!". **

All the sudden, Shadow Chie's face was inches from Chie's face.

**"That's the way it should be, right?"**.

Chie stepped back and looked at her double in shock.

"Wh-What're you saying?"

**"Yukiko's so good looking, sooo fair-skinned, sooo feminine! She's the one all the guys drool over!"**.

Shadow Chie sent a sparing glance at Yosuke, before sniffing haughtily**. **

**"When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy...Man, did I get a charge out of that"**, Shadow Chie said gleefully. **"Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything without me. I'm better than her. Much, much better!"**, Shadow Chie said with a sneer.

Chie narrowed her eyes.

"No! I have never thought that!", she all but screamed.

Shadow Chie just chuckled.

**"You sure? You look pretty riled"**.

"Oh man, wh-what do we do?", Yosuke asked, looking at Shadow Chie and Chie.

"We protect Satonaka", Souji said firmly.

"R-Right".

They all walked forward, only for Chie to whirl around and face them.

"No! Don't come near me! Don't look at me!", Chie said, slightly hysterically.

"Chie", her brother said, putting as much calm into his voice as possible.

"No! No! This isn't me!", Chie yelled, shaking her head.

"Wait, stupid! Don't say anything else like that!", Yosuke said.

"This isn't-!", Chie snapped, only for Shadow Chie to step behind her.

**"Oh? Come on"**, Shadow Chie said threateningly, walking around a now paralyzed Chie, and towards them. Yosuke froze when Shadow Chie was only a couple of steps from them, and she glanced warily at her legs. She was wearing the same steel-toe boots Chie was wearing.

**"Why so worried? Afraid of people seeing who you really are?"**, Shadow Chie said, circling them predatorily.

**"After all..."**, Shadow Chie's voice suddenly went into falsetto**," 'I'm the one who can't do anything alone. I can't win as girl, let alone as a person"**.

Shadow Chie finished her circling, and stared at Chie.

**" 'I'm pathetic'. But Yukiko depends on me"**, Shadow Chie said, voice normal **"And that's why she's my friend. I'll never loosen my grip on her. She's far too important to me"**, Shadow Chie said.

"N-No...That's not how I think of her!", Chie yelled, only to flinch back as Shadow Chie glared at her, only centimeters from Chie's face**. **

**"So you're just going to turn your back on me again? Go ahead, deny me. But things are different now. When the time comes, I'll be the one left standing"**.

Shadow Chie gave a chilling smile.

**"You don't mind, do you? After all, I'm you"**.

Chie glared at her doppelganger, "Shut up! You're..."

"Chie, wait!"

"You're not me!", Chie screamed.

It was silent for a moment. Then Shadow Chie started to chuckle. And then laugh. Before guffawing, clutching her stomach. The room shook as the blue aura around Shadow Chie flashed red, before erupting. Chie fell back with a scream.

In the Shadow's place was now a grey figure scantily clad in a yellow two piece. She wore a mask strangely resembling a banana, and wore yellow boots and gloves. The figure was held up by a tower of three struggling grey Chies, and long black hair writhed around her, reaching all the way down to the floor. The Shadow glared at them, before snapping it's whip, causing the tower of grey Chies to flinch before stepping forward.

**"I am a Shadow, the True Self! What do you think you're doing. Protecting the 'real me'? Then you're going to pay the price!"**.

Shadow Chie snapped her whip at Chie, only to meet stone. Florence appeared next to them, holding Chie piggy-back style.

"Teddie, protect Chie", Florence said, putting Chie on the ground.

Chie groaned.

**"Stop interfering!"**, Shadow Chie yelled.

"Stop being such a pain! Jiraiya!", Yosuke snapped, Jiraiya appearing behind him.

"Chie, just hang in there a little longer"

**"Hah! You think you can stop me that easy?"**.

Souji summoned Izanagi, who slashed at Shadow Chie.

It didn't work as planned, as Izanagi's weapon bounced of off the hair, and Shadow Chie quickly hit Izanagi with her whip, making Souji flinch in pain.

**" Ahahahaha! How lame! You're all so deadly serious and we've only gotten started. Maybe you need a bit of pain first?"**, Shadow Chie said sweetly, only to cry out in pain as Jiraiya's Garu hit her.

"I think we found her weakness", Yosuke said with a grin. Souji nodded, And Izanagi disappeared, Angel taking his place, wings covering Souji protectively. Angel sent another Garu, and she rushed in as Shadow Chie stumbled, only to skid back as the sharp hair tried to entangle her.

She growled. This would be so much easier if she could use her powers, but...She glanced at Souji and Yosuke.

They still didn't know.

Shadow Chie let out a growl.

**"You'll pay for that!"**.

Shadow Chie's hair whipped around, before unwinding as a green wall appeared.

"Hah, like that's gong to stop us!", Yosuke said, Jiraiya spinning and launching a flurry of Garu.

Each one passing through the wall and hitting Shadow Chie with the force of a kitten.

Shadow Chie grinned, before kicking Jiraiya. In the most sensitive place imaginable. She winced as Yosuke and Jiraiya fell to their knees with a groan. Apparently, Shadow Chie also applied 'critical hit to the nads'. Shadow Chie's hair lunged towards Jiraiya, only to be blocked by Angel. She ran up to Yosuke as Souji helped him up.

"You okay?", she asked.

"I've been worse...", Yosuke squeaked.

All the sudden, Shadow Chie laughed evilly, and they looked up to see her whip descending towards them. Souji unsheathed his sword as Angel covered them with her for Florence to appear in front of them, blocking the whip with his scythe. And almost getting it wrenched out of his hands.

Florence slashed at the hair, snipping a few locks as the hair shrinked back, Shadow Chie flinching.

Florence jumped back and landed next to her.

"We're going to have to use them soon", he whispered.

She nodded.

The green wall suddenly faded, and Angel and Jiraiya wasted no time hitting Shadow Chie with a barrage of Garu's**.**

** "Gah! What are you doing this for! Why are you protecting that grubby bit-!"**, Shadow Chie was interrupted by a blast of air.

Florence rushed in, and she quickly followed. Not that she could get anywhere close, with the hair whipping around violently. She flew back as the whip suddenly hit her, and she blinked away tears, only for the pain to fade. She saw Jiraiya hovering over her, Yosuke helping her stand up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah".

Souji and Florence skidded in front of them, looking worse for the wear. Not that Shadow Chie looked better.

"**Gah...Die! Just Die!"**, Shadow Chie screamed.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. "Watch out!", her brother yelled, tackling her out of the way, just as they got hit with something.

She flew across the room before hitting the wall. Hard. She winced, falling to the ground as she felt something wet trickle down the back of her head. She ground her teeth, fingers digging into the stone floor, before opening her eyes. Her brother laid unconscious next to her.

"Florence...", she whispered.

He didn't stir. She got up and glared at Shadow Chie, who was currently strangling the life out of Souji and Yosuke, and advancing towards Chie as Teddie stood in front of her, shaking in fear.

"That's it", she growled, the stone shifting around her, "You're dead".

* * *

**Chie**

She blinked blearily. She felt like she had just forced herself to run a marathon in the middle of the summer. She struggled to get up from the floor. Where was she? Her eye's snapped open as she saw Yosuke and Souji being strangled by a monster.

"Chie-chan! Run!", Teddie said, standing in front of her.

"Wha-?"

"Chie!".

She whirled around to see Yosuke struggling against the monster's hair.

**"Now then, time for you!"**.

She flinched on hearing the monster's voice. Her voice.

"Y-You're not me...", she whimpered.

The monster just cackled and advanced towards her.

"Chie...run...!", Yosuke gasped as some sort of disco frog spasmed behind him.

"Y-Yosuke!", she called out.

The monster raised her whip, and brought it down.

Only for a pillar of earth to block it. Crystal appeared in front of her, and in one fluid motion, punched the ground, sharp pillars of stone erupting from the ground, freeing Yosuke and Souji. Yosuke fell to the ground, clutching his throat, while Souji looked at her with concern.

"Satonaka-san, are you okay?", he asked, a woman with wings hovering behind him, connected to him by a chain.

"Y-Yes...", she said softly, closing her eyes. She didn't feel to good...Since when did Souji wear a choker...?

"Crystal?", Souji asked.

"Yeah?", Crystal said, voice guarded.

"...Can you distract the Shadow?".

"I can do ten times better", Crystal said, voice relieved.

"Yosuke?"

"Yeah partner?"

"Pepper her with Garu. We need to finish this before she launches another Mazio"

"Got it"

"Ready? Go!"

* * *

**Souji**

He ran towards Shadow Chie, Angel launching a Garu. At the same time, Jiraiya also used Garu.

**"Why! Why all this for her!?"**, Shadow Chie screamed.

**"Die! Die already!"**, she yelled, only to scream in pain as Crystal sent a boulder crashing into her.

He watched as the short girl commanded the stone around her as easily as one would breath. And considering the castle was made of stone...

**"Ngh...Don't make fun of me...You're...You're nothing against me!"**, Shadow Chie suddenly formed a small blue ball, before breaking it with her whip. Large spikes of ice exploded outwards. Ice met shards of stone, and Angel protected him with a blast of Garu. We need to finish this quickly He couldn't agree more. Jiraiya launched another Garu at Shadow Chie, only for her to form another Green Wall. Quickly followed by Mazio.

He winced and stumbled as the lightning hit Angel. Yosuke fared far worse, falling to the ground with a scream.

**"That's it, kneel before me!"**, Shadow Chie said, bringing her whip up.

**"Now scream for me!"**.

He brought out Izanagi and rushed forward. Turns out he didn't need to. Florence, out of nowhere, appeared behind Shadow Chie and slashed a large chunk of her hair. The hair fell to the ground, lifeless, and Shadow Chie looked at it in shock.

**"No...Stop!"**.

Florence ignored her and slashed at another lock of hair. Shadow Chie immediately turned on Florence, lashing out at him violently and hastily. Izanagi rushed in and cleaved a large amount of the hair, while he helped Yosuke up. "Stop it! Stop it!", Shadow Chie screamed, and the hair lashed around erratically. Jiraiya quickly joined the impromptu haircut, and soon Shadow Chie's once floor length hair was now shoulder length.

**"Stop it! Die! Just die!"**, Shadow Chie shrieked, charging up a Mazio. Something rushed past him, and Crystal threw a large boulder right at Shadow Chie's face, stunning her long enough for Florence to cut the last of the hair. With one lethal arc of his scythe, the last of the black locks fall to the floor.

The Mazio fizzled out instantly, and Shadow Chie tentatively gripped the remaining locks of hair.

**"No...Noooo!"**, she screamed hysterically, as the tower of Chies collapsed underneath it.

Red aura flashed before turning blue, and the Shadow dissolved, leaving Shadow Chie in her non-monstrous form, sniffling as she clutched her now ragged, even shorter hair despondently.

Florence walked over to them, as he switched Izanagi to Pixie, who started to heal Yosuke without her usual banter.

"Sorry for not joining sooner", Florence apologized.

"You look surprisingly well for someone who was hit with a blast of lightning", he noted.

Florence's eyes seemed to glow.

"Electricity isn't that bad", Florence said with a shrug, before glancing around the room. The now ruined, rubble ridden room.

"Crystal went overboard again", Florence said with a sigh.

He glanced at the girl in question, who was talking to Pixie.

"Don't be so hard on her".

He looked at Florence.

"She had a reason to keep her powers a secret".

"...Okay", he said with a nod.

He could understand. Slightly.

All the sudden, Chie started to stir. They rushed to her side.

"Is she okay?", Yosuke asked Teddie.

Teddie nodded.

"She should be okay".

"Chie?", Yosuke asked.

Chie groaned, before opening her eyes, getting up. She looked at them blearily.

"Guys...What happened...?", she said groggily, only to see her Shadow.

"So? That's all you got?", Chie said, glaring at her Shadow.

"Chie, stop", Yosuke said with a sigh.

Chie looked at him in shock.

"B-But-".

"Satonaka. Everybody has different sides", he said, trying to say something comforting.

"He's right. You're more than her", Florence added.

Chie looked at them, before standing up and walking to her Shadow.

"Hey", Chie said, giving a hand to her Shadow.

Shadow Chie sniffed and wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve, before taking the hand and getting up.

"I knew you were telling the truth about being me...But I was so ashamed, I didn't want to admit it. But still...", Chie took a deep breath,

"Your me. And I'm you", Chie said firmly.

Shadow Chie looked at her in surprise, before giving a small smile. Shadow Chie stepped back and gave a small bow, before a bright light enveloped her. A tarot card appeared in front of Chie, only to be shattered into pieces by a spear. The light disappeared, and A tall warrior dressed in yellow, with long black hair stood in Shadow Chie's place.

"Tomoe...", Chie whispered.

The persona, Tomoe, nodded, before spinning her double ended spear and disappearing. Chie smiled, before looking down at the floor.

"Hey, you okay?", Crystal asked.

"I know what my Shadow said was true...B-But I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko!".

"Heh. Like we didn't know that already", Yosuke said with a smile.

Chie smiled back, before falling to her knees.

"Chie!"

"I don't feel so good...", Chie murmured.

Yosuke looked at him while Florence kneeled next to Chie.

"Oh man, what do we do?".

He thought for a moment. Yukiko was still here...But Chie...

"We go back and try to save Yukiko tomorrow", he decided.

Yosuke nodded while Chie looked at him in shock.

"No! We can't! Yukiko's still in here, all alone! I have to save her! I have to tell her...All that stuff she said about me...? I couldn't do any of it without her at my side!", Chie said, struggling to get up.

"And how far is Yukiko-san?", Yosuke demanded.

That stopped Chie.

"You don't know how far we have to go!"

"About six more floors", Crystal muttered, putting an ear against the floor and tapping.

"Who knows how dangerous it'll be! We're the only ones who can save her, so we can't fail! We have to give it our best!".

Chie looked at Yosuke, before nodding reluctantly.

"Besides, now that you got a Persona, you can fight too".

Teddie 'ahemed'.

"Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts in this world. This Yukiko-person should be fine until then".

"The fog?", Chie asked.

"When it becomes foggy in our world, it lifts here. Remember how the announcer and Senpai's deaths happened after the fog?"

"So, they were killed by their Shadows?".

Yosuke nodded. Chie looked vaguely spooked by that.

"But...Yukiko" .

"Chie, we'll save her tomorrow. It won't rain tomorrow", Florence said.

He nodded.

"You sure?".

"We will save her tomorrow", he promised.

He and Yosuke helped Chie up to her feet.

"Now then, time to get out of here", Yosuke sighed tiredly. Yosuke was about to summon his Persona, only for Crystal to stomp the floor. The room shook.

"Ah-hem. You two", she said, pointing to them, "Are under no circumstances going to fight. You look like you've been trampled by elephants".

He felt like he'd been trampled by elephants.

"Florence and I will take care of the fighting". Florence nodded and twirled his scythe.

"Are you sure?", he asked.

Crystal glared at them, and a pillar of earth erupted behind her.

"...Point taken". Crystal smiled, before frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh", she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head before wincing, "I might've...messed up the room. We might want to get out of here".

He looked at the crumbling floor, before nodding.

"Let's go".

* * *

He walked forward through the corridors, Izanagi next to him. Behind him, Chie was leaning on Yosuke, both of them walking slowly. Shadow Chie had taken a lot out of them. He shook his head. He should've been more careful_. _

_It's not all your fault. You just need to be a bit more strategic in your next fights_, Pixie said.

_She is correct. Do not be disheartened_, Angel chimed in.

He remained silent, only for Izanagi to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and stared at intense yellow eyes. Izanagi just looked at him, before nodding. He nodded slowly. He would need to got to the Velvet Room sometime soon.

He looked up as a Hablerie suddenly came into view, and Izanagi lifted his nanigata. Only for the Hablerie to eat boulder and smash into the wall, before dissolving. He glanced at Crystal, who was levitating a few smaller stones. Florence walked forward, looking around warily, as Teddie walked beside him.

He recalled Florence's words. 'Don't be too hard on her'. And he remembered how guarded Crystal had seemed.

Crystal fell into step beside him.

"I don't think the Shadow's are going to bother us for a while", she said with a small grin.

"...Crystal?"

"Yeah?"

"Your powers", he said simply.

Crystal stiffened next to him.

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to", he said, looking forward.

"Huh?"

"You seemed pretty tense. Don't worry, I won't ask"

"You're not curious?". He was, but he wasn't one to pry into other people's business.

Crystal looked at him, before looking forward.

"After we save Yukiko. I'll explain then"

"You don't have to"

"I will. After all", she glanced at him, "We're friends".

_You're close to ranking up the Queen of Pentacle's Social Link_, Pixie said suddenly.

At that moment, another Hablerie appeared, and Crystal ran to meet it, leaving him to ponder Crystal's words.

* * *

**Florence**

He watched as his sister paced around the house aimlessly. Chie had collapsed as soon as they left the TV. Yosuke offered to let her rest at the Junes employee break room. Souji agreed and left for his own house, muttering worriedly about 'Nanako'. And so here they were now.

"Crystal"

"Huh?"

"Calm down".

Crystal sighed, before sitting down next to him.

"Sorry. Just...thinking"

"Thoughts come easy to those who are calm", he said.

"Yeah, they also come faster to those who are doing something", Crystal said with a huff.

He looked at her for a moment.

"Still worried?".

She just nodded.

"You have no reason to be. Souji seemed calm enough. And Yosuke didn't even say anything"

"I know. Just...Explaining is hard. How is Trace so good at it?"

"They call him Silver Tongue for a reason".

His sister snorted and rubbed the back of her head, only to wince. He immediately grasped her hands.

"Crystal?"

"What?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...might have hit my head".

He narrowed his eyes, and looked at the back of her head, brushing away hair gingerly.

There was a small bruise with dry blood. He sighed.

"Crystal"

"It didn't hurt that much"

"Crystal. We don't have Clark here with us. We have to be careful about our wounds"

"I know...I wish he was here. He would just mess around without a care in the world".

He made a sound of agreement, before getting up. He came back shortly with a bucket of warm water and a soft cloth.

"This is going to hurt, so don't punch me"

"No promises".

* * *

**Author: And so Crystal uses her powers in front of everyone. How will she explain? And how will everyone else react. Considering Souji...probably calmly. Those that can guess what Florence can do are clever. As always, review and give constructive criticism. No flames though. I now have an asbestos shield**


	10. Chapter 10: Yukiko's Castle

**Author's Note: I'll be handeling the intro to the chapter as the narrorators are on lunch break. For starters: I must appoligize for the very, very long hiatus. Exams have been knocking on the door like Death itself, and it was persistent. This isn't much of an excuse, and I can't really appoligize enough. So instead, I'll give this chapter as a gift, and work harder on finding time to write. Which won't be for a month. Sorry. Next up...**

**The Blue Lights: I cannot say enough how much I appreciated your review. It fixed a lot of things I've been doing wrong grammer wise, and made me think about a few points you brought up. I hope I've done better with this chapter. As for the backstory for the OC's...That will be revealed soon, I promise you. **

**Kruggov: I didn't say much when you first reviewed, but I will say this now: No, they won't be Mary Sues. In fact, I rather dislike Mary Sues. What's the use of creating a character if you won't let them suffer and develop the same as the other characters. It would be unfair to everyone. If they seem like Mary Sues, then I will try to rectify this. **

**Reviews are always welcome, remember that. No flames though. And as a note about all the stories I do...If you dislike multiple OC's (But most certainley not Mary Sues) and Mega Crossovers, this may not be the place for you. However, I ask that you read before you decide. You may like it. And I alway endevor to give the best possible. So for those reading, let's see this ride through, shall we?**

**Now that we got all that melodrama like stuff out of the way, let's get to the disclaimer, and then the chapter so awaited.**

**I don't own the characters of Persona. Only my characters and ideas.**

**Note: de Tuthua is pronounced 'de Tooth-oo-a' and is something in mythology, for those wondering.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 :Yukiko's Castle**

**Souji**

"You think Chie's okay?".

He opened his eyes and looked at Yosuke.

"I mean, so much stuff happened yesterday. I hope she's back to her usual self," Yosuke said worriedly. He stretched a bit.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's very strong willed," he said. Yosuke chuckled. "You got that right. Still, I hope she's okay".

As if summoned, Chie suddenly stepped into the classroom. She caught sight of both of them staring at her, and her face flushed as she almost tip toed into the class and towards them.

"Uh...'Mornin," she said.

"Did you sleep well?," he asked.

"Yeah, I was out cold until this morning," she said with a smile. The smile turned into a frown as she looked at the ground. He and Yosuke glanced at each other. "Uh...Thank you guys for yesterday. It's kinda embarrassing though...I mean you guys got to see all my hidden feelings and stuff". Yosuke shook his head.

"Don't sweat it". Chie looked at Yosuke.

"Oh yeah, the same thing happened to you, huh?," she said curiously.

"Oh yeah," Yosuke said quickly, turning to him," you didn't have to face your Shadow did you? I wonder why?".Yosuke smiled.

"Hmmm, could it be you have nothing to hide?," he said half-serious. He chuckled. Chie looked at him curiously. "So none of that stuff happened to you?". He shook his head.

"I gotta admit, you have a pretty funny air about you. I guess that's what draws people towards you," she said.

"Want me to bare it all?," he asked calmly, leaning back in his chair. The look on both their faces was priceless.

"Wha-Hey, wh-what're you talking about!?," Chie said, taking a step back.

Yosuke grabbed him by the shoulders. "Don't do it, you'll get arrested for real this time!," he said seriously.

He just looked at him blankly. "And whose fault was that?".

"Almost arrested?," Chie asked. He nodded.

"Yosuke's brilliant plan," he said. Yosuke glared at him, and he just smiled.

"What he do, bring a weapon to the food court?," Chie said, chuckling.

She stopped on seeing them. "Wait, please tell me he didn't".

Yosuke just looked to the side sheepishly. Chie looked at Yosuke for a full moment, before unexpectedly laughing.

"That's something only you would do," she said good-naturedly. He joined in on the chuckling, and Yosuke glared at them, before smiling.

"It was pretty humorous in hindsight. Not so much when it was happening," Yosuke said, reminiscing.

"Today we're saving Yukiko, no matter what. And I'm coming too!," Chie said. He and Yosuke nodded. There was no reason for her not to. The bell started to ring.

"Crap, I still haven't gone to the bathroom!". And with that, Yosuke ran off. He looked back at Chie, only to see her twiddling her fingers nervously.

"Um...Thank you," she said after a while.

"Yosuke's cool and all, but there is something different about you. I have the feeling you won't let me down," Chie said with a grateful smile. He smiled back.

"I'll try my best not to, Satonaka". Chie frowned.

"There's no need to call me by my last name"

"Very well...I'll try my best not to Chie".

Chie smiled and time suddenly stopped with the crash of glass, and a card with two sphinxes and a charioteer appeared. _Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Hast Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Be Blessed When Creating Personas Of The Chariot Arcana_. Time flowed normally as the card disappeared.

_Congrats on your new bond! _Pixie chirped. He blinked in surprise. _What? We can still talk to you outside the TV. We're part of you_. He considered the statement for a while, before asking them to keep it down outside the TV. It wouldn't do good for him to start hearing voices all the time.

_If you insist _Pixie said with a pout. _As you say_ Angel said. He was broken out of his thoughts by Chie.

"Hey, you okay? You spaced out for a while there". He shook his head.

"Just lost in thought". Chie nodded, before looking at the seat behind him.

"Crystal isn't here?". He shook his head.

"I hope it's not because of yesterday," Chie said, concerned. He shook his head again.

"I doubt that's it". Crystal didn't seem the type to be tired out by a battle. Though he was curious to where she was...

"Can I have your number? For the investigation?," he asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. You're going to need it from now". They took out both their phones and exchanged numbers. At that moment, Yosuke reentered the class.

"Did I miss anything?".

* * *

After school ended, the three of them made their way through the hallways.

"Jeez, this handwriting is awful," Yosuke commented, looking at the notes Chie was holding.

"It's my handwriting!," she snapped. Yosuke blinked before wisely getting out of the way.

"Oh, it is? I-It's not that bad," Yosuke said quickly. Chie rolled her eyes and glared at him. "I wrote them for Yukiko".

They walked down the stairs, and he saw people putting up sign up sheets for different clubs. Two guys, one already wearing the jersey, were putting up the basketball club and soccer club, while a girl that looked like a middle schooler stood on her tiptoes to firmly place the band club sheet to the wall. He looked at the soccer club in contemplation.

"You interested in joining the soccer club?".

He blinked and looked at the two guys. One of them had sandy brown hair, brown eyes, a bandage over his nose, and was a head taller than the other. The other had dark blue hair and grey eyes, and was in comparison more wiry, though no less muscular. The brown haired one, otherwise known as the one wearing the jersey, looked at him expectantly.

"Well?".

"You're the transfer student, right?," the blue haired one asked.

He nodded, and stared at the soccer club sheet for another moment.

"...Perhaps," he said after some consideration. The brown haired one smiled widely.

"Hey, Souji! Come on!," Chie called.

He turned to her and nodded, before turning back to the duo. He noticed the blue haired boy looking at Chie with a slight blush.

"I'll see you later," he said, before making his way towards Chie. Yosuke followed, but not before looking at the blue haired boy. "Better luck next time, Ichijo". The blue haired boy blinked.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

"Coming!".

* * *

They found Crystal standing in front of Junes. And she looked pissed. She looked up on hearing their footsteps.

"There you are!," she snapped, "Where have you been!".

"We could ask you the same thing," Yosuke said, seemingly un-intimidated by the glare she was sending them.

"...I thought we were going to save Yukiko first thing," she said after a while.

"We had school today"

"I thought saving Yukiko was more important than that!"

"Don't raise your voice so much sister. You're attracting unwanted attention".

He turned to see Florence strolling towards them.

"Do you wear that suit all the time?," Yosuke asked. Florence ignored him.

"I told you we should have gone to the school," Florence said to his sister calmly.

"Yeah yeah, I get it! Let's just get on with it...," she said. She seemed less angry at them and more irritated at herself.

"Let's get to saving Yukiko"

* * *

"Hi Sensei!," Teddie said cheerfully. Behind him, Yosuke was helping Chie up and Crystal was doing likewise for her brother.

"Hey Teddie. We need to head back to the castle"

"Got it Sensei. We need to save that girl fast. By the way...". He tilted his head as Teddie seemed to rummage through invisible pockets.

"These are for you!". He took the things Teddie had given him. A couple of keys, a first aid kit, and some odd little boxes.

"These things," Teddie pointed to the boxes, "can let you escape the castle it you're in a tight spot. They're called Goho-Ms."

"...Did you think of that name yourself?"

"Yup!".

"I also have this," Teddie said, before putting a bucket of yen on the floor. For a moment, it was silent. Then Yosuke started to count the money rapidly while Chie looked at the bucket with wide eyes.

"Dude," he said after a while," There must be at least 5000 yen here". He blinked.

"Really?"

"Yeah". Yosuke turned to Teddie. "Where did you get this?"

"The Shadows dropped them"

"And you didn't tell us!?"

"Wah! You never asked," Teddie said nervously.

"What do we do with it?," Chie asked. He thought for a while , while everyone looked at him.

" Whoever defeats the Shadow gets to keep the money," he said finally.

Everyone nodded. "I'm fine with that. I knew there was a reason you're the leader". He blinked.

"Leader?".

Yosuke nodded. "Yeah. I think you should be our Leader. I'm more of an ideas guy, you know? I'd trust you more with important decisions".

Chie nodded. "Yeah. You just seem like a Leader type".

Crystal cupped her chin in thought. "You've been doing a good job so far. You're pretty much already the de facto leader. I'd feel a lot better if you were the official Leader," she said slowly but surely.

Teddie nodded. "My pillow would be a lot better at night knowing Sensei is in charge".

Florence shrugged. "I have no objections".

Yosuke smiled. "Then we all agree". Yosuke turned to face him. "You're the Leader".

Everyone looked at him expectantly, and for a moment, he froze under the sudden weight. He would now be responsible for everybody's wellbeing...He took a breath and nodded.

"If you guys say so, then I will give it my all," he said firmly. Everybody nodded, and suddenly time stopped with a shattering of glass. A card appeared, this one depicting a hapless man walking with a sack over his back, a dog at his heels, as he headed towards a cliff drop. _Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Hast Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Be Blessed When Strengthening The Arcana Of The Fool_. He blinked as time returned to normal, only to look as Chie and Yosuke looked around wildly.

"What was that!?," Yosuke asked. He blinked in surprise.

"You saw that?"

"It's pretty hard to miss".

He turned to Crystal and Florence. "What about you?".

Crystal shook her head, frowning. "I didn't see anything...It felt like something was there for a moment though". She turned to Florence, who shook his head. He thought for a moment, thinking about the best way to describe a Social Link.

"...It's the power of our Personas," he said after some time. "What do you mean?," Chie asked. "Personas are manifestations of ourselves. They become stronger the stronger we get. And they become stronger through the power of the heart and our bonds," he said, recalling everything Igor ever said. "Power of the heart?," Chie repeated. "So you're saying friendship makes our Personas stronger?," Yosuke asked. "It's not as simple as that".

"How do you know all this?," Crystal asked. He paused for a moment, wondering if he should talk about the Velvet Room. He looked at her straight in the eyes.

"You're not the only one with secrets," he said. She flinched back, before scowling and looking down. He felt bad on seeing that, but he didn't feel up to the task of explaining the Velvet Room. There was a slight silence.

"Uh, so let's go save Yukiko," Yosuke suggested. He nodded and they made their way to the castle silently.

* * *

They made it back to the second floor, and Teddie stopped suddenly to sniff the air.

"There's someone here!," he said. Chie looked at him in surprise. "There is? Yukiko!," she called out, running towards the door.

"Dammit Chie! Stop running ahead!," Yosuke snapped, and they ran after her. They entered the room where they had fought Shadow Chie, and he noticed two things. One: the room wasn't destroyed anymore. Two: Yukiko was standing in the center of the room, in her pink ballroom gown, facing away from them.

"Yukiko-san!"

"Yukiko!".

They all stepped forward, but she didn't turn. "Yukiko...?," Chie said hesitantly, steeping forward. Immediately, Yukiko whirled around, yellow eyes glimmering with amusement. They all stepped back, tensing. All except Chie.

"That's not Yukiko," Crystal whispered. Princess Yukiko tilted her head, microphone in hand, looking at them curiously. "**Hmm? Oh my! Special guests? I wonder how they'll play into this**," Princess Yukiko chuckled, "**Things are heating up!**". Princess Yukiko clapped her hands together.

"**Okie-dokie! I'm going back to hunt for my Prince Charming! Ohh, where could he be...?**," she asked. "**This place is so huge! It's sooo exiting, but it makes it so hard to find him!**". Princess Yukiko brought the microphone up to her face, and looked thoughtful. "**Ooh! Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek in the fog! Ready-or-not, here I come!**". Princess Yukiko gestured to them extravagantly. "**Let's go further in then, shall we!?**".

She gestured to her side, and a stream of rose petals flowed through the air, forming a neon sign. 'PRINCESS YUKIKO'S HUNT FOR HER PRINCE CHARMING' it read. Applause and cheer sounded as Shadow Yukiko curtsied. Chie looked at the scene in baffled shock, while Yosuke looked around as voices murmured through thin air.

"Not this again. What the hell's with the applause?!".

Chie's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "You're not Yukiko...Who are you!?".

Princess Yukiko lifted a hand to her mouth and laughed, resembling the Princess she...resembled. "**What're you talking about? I'm Yukiko...And Yukiko is me**". Chie looked at Princess Yukiko in sudden realization.

"No! Don't tell me, are you-!?".Princess Yukiko merely chuckled.

"Where's the real Yukiko!?".

The voices grew louder in volume, and Crystal brought her fists up.

"What's with these voices?," Yosuke said, looking around wildly.

"Nothing good," Crystal said back.

"The Shadows are getting agitated," Teddie said warningly.

Princess Yukiko chuckled again. "**Well, I'm off again!**," she said, waving cheerfully. Before running away, very swiftly for someone wearing a ballroom gown. As she ran, he heard her laugh cheerfully. "**Heehee! You'd better be waiting with bells on, my dear Prince!**". Chie stepped forwards.

"Wait!".

Princess Yukiko's footsteps faded, and Chie stared at the ground for a while, before turning to them, eyes filled with determination. "That clearly wasn't the real Yukiko. It had to be..."

"Her Shadow," he finished.

Florence nodded, adjusting his dark green glasses.

"There's very little else it could be".

"I think it was. It must have been the other part of herself," Teddie said, agreeing.

"So it's the same thing that happened to us," Yosuke said.

"Well then, we better find Yukiko quick. Before her Shadow finds her," Crystal said. They all looked at her.

"...What?," she asked nervously. Chie paled as Crystal's words fully sunk in.

"Yukiko!," she yelled, turning around. He grabbed her by the jacket before she could bolt. "Chie. We will save Amagi-san. But the only way to save her is if we work together and go through this castle calmly. Got it?".

Chie stopped struggling, before sighing.

"You're right," she said reluctantly.

"She wasn't excited for nothing," Teddie said suddenly. They looked at him.

"What do you mean?," Crystal asked.

"I think the real Yukiko wants to show us something. This castle is strongly connected to her. At least, that's what I think". They stared at him for another moment.

"First we save Amagi-san, then we can muse about all of this," he said. Everyone nodded, and they quickly went up the next floor.

* * *

The first Shadows they found dive-bombed them from the air.

"Watch out! Black Ravens!," Teddie cried out. The Black Ravens cawed in harmony, before preceding the attack again.

"Izanagi!"

"Jiraiya!"

"Tomoe!".

The Ravens squawked and swerved out of the way to avoid Tomoe and Jiraiya. Jiraiya launched a Garu at them, disorientating them for a moment, but not doing much else. Tomoe launched herself at them, swinging while the Ravens flew about wildly. Chie let out a cry as one of the Ravens attacked Tomoe, before dancing out of the way.

"Careful Chie-chan!," Teddie called out.

The Ravens cawed in harmony again-only to scatter violently as Crystal sent a storm of stones at them. One of the Ravens flew right into his path. It didn't even have time to cry out before Izanagi blasted it with Zio.

"Black Ravens are weak to Zio!," Teddie called out.

Izanagi lifted his naginata and pointed it at another Raven, blasting it. The rest of the Ravens squawked and rushed out of Izanagi's way. And into everybody else's. Tomoe skewered one into the ground while Jiraiya killed the next one with a flurry of shuriken strikes. The last Raven cried out-and promptly was smashed into the ground by a stone.

"Rock beats bird," Crystal said.

"That was pretty easy," Chie said. Yosuke shook his head. "Trust us, it won't be this easy for long".

"I suggest we try to avoid Shadows as much as possible," Teddie said.

They nodded and continued further in. They managed to reach the next floor without encountering any Shadows. As soon as they did, Yukiko's voice suddenly rang out.

"Welcome. Thank you for coming to the Amagi Inn. Your room is right this way. If we can help you in any way, please let us know immediately".

They looked around, but Yukiko nor her Shadow were nowhere to be found.

"What as that?," Yosuke asked.

"Yeah. This is obviously a castle, not an inn".

He thought for a moment. "Maybe we're hearing Amagi-san's thoughts or memories?," he mused.

"You mean like Saki?," Crystal asked. He nodded.

"Whatever it is, our first priority is Amagi-san".

They continued through the corridors, trying to find the staircase. What they instead found were more Shadows. This time a table and two hands.

"A table? Some of these Shadows are really weird," Yosuke sighed. The hands immediately scuttled towards them, while the Table launched it's tableware. Izanagi launched a zio at the table. The table didn't even flinch, and he rolled to the side to avoid three forks and a knife.

"Laughing Table's are resistant to Zio!".

Chie kicked away one of the hands, while Crystal punched the other one towards her brother, who slashed it with his scythe. The table launched more of its silverware at him, only for Jiraiya to launch a garu to intercept it. The silverware flew away, and the table fell as it's legs became as flimsy as wet noodles.

"It's weak to Garu!," Teddie yelled, at the same time he changed Persona.

"Angel!".

The choker appeared around his neck as Angel appeared, launching a Garu at the table, finishing it off. Tomoe finished off the last Shadow with a bufu. Chie exhaled.

"Well, now that that's over-".

She was interrupted as cards suddenly appeared from thin air.

"What the-!?".

"Relax. This is just how Souji gets new Personae," Yosuke explained.

He stepped up and watched as the cards shuffled, before choosing one. Almost immediately, a presence stalked into his mind. _Well hello_ a voice...purred in his mind. _I am Senri_ the voice continued _And I think I will enjoy being here_ she said with a chuckle, before receding. He blinked as a feeling of uneasiness washed over him.

"You okay?". He looked at Crystal. "You were frowning," she explained. He shook his head, waving off the ominous feeling.

"I'm fine".

* * *

"Hey look, it's a chest," Chie said.

They walked towards the chest in question.

"Should we open it?," Crystal asked, looking at the chest with unabashed curiosity. Pixie hover over his shoulder with the same expression. _I say we open it_. He thought for a moment, before reaching out to open it.

"Wait!," Yosuke said, "What if it's trapped?". He considered it for a moment, before tossing the lid open quickly. The only thing inside were beads.

"Beads?," Chie said, making a face.

"At least it's not an enemy".

Teddie and Pixie on the other hand were exited.

"Oh my Sensei, these are 'beary' useful!".

_Revival Beads! Yes!_

He looked at the small orange beads in his hands. They didn't look that useful. _Revival Beads can revive you if you fall unconscious_ Pixie told everyone.

"Really?," Crystal said, holding a bead in front of her face. Pixie nodded. He took the five beads, before giving one to everyone, keeping the last one for himself.

"Why are you giving us these?," Crystal asked.

"It wouldn't be good if only one person was holding all the supplies," he said. Florence nodded.

"Not to put all our eggs in one basket, in other words," Florence said. He nodded.

"Exactly".

At that moment, they heard a cacophony of caws, and turned to see a flock of Black Ravens heading towards them.

* * *

**Florence**

After dealing with the Unkindness of Black Ravens, they managed their way to the fifth floor. Not without any injuries though.

"Are you sure you're fine?," Yosuke asked Souji. Souji just adjusted the bandages over his hands. "I'll be fine".

Apparently, after seeing their comrades deaths, the Black Ravens had decided Souji was the most dangerous out of all of them, and proceeded to attempt to swarm him. Attempt being the key word. In retribution, Izanagi had proceeded to start blasting Ravens into piles of charred feathers. Normally, he liked ravens. He made an exception for those. Teddie started sniffing the air.

"I think...Someone's here!".

Chie grew excited at that. "Come on, let's hurry!".

She quickly started leading the way. They walked a few steps...and there was a sudden dropping feeling in his stomach as they were suddenly in a different place in the castle entirely.

"Huh? Where are we?," Yosuke asked.

Crystal put an ear to the ground and started to 'tap' the floor. "We're on the same floor...different place though," she said.

"So we teleported?"

"Looks like it".

They continued forward again. And then got teleported again. He steadied himself at the sudden feeling of dizziness.

"Okay, this is starting to get annoying," Yosuke sighed. Souji turned to Crystal.

"Can you tell exactly where we are?". He face became determined and she kneeled as the floor shifted around her.

"...Still on the same floor, but a different corner".

Souji immediately turned to Teddie.

"Teddie, can you still sense that person?"

"Of course"

"Then I want you to lead the way"

"Aye-Aye Sensei!".

Teddie sniffed the air a couple of times, before abruptly turning the other way. "This way!". They followed after him, and he fully expected to be teleported. To his pleasant surprise, they didn't. He far preferred Shadow Traveling to teleportation.

"This person should be right behind this corne-Wah!".

Teddie fell on his back as two Shadows that looked like dice rushed around the corner towards them. Angel immediately launched a Garu towards them as Souji stood in front of Teddie, brandishing his fake katana protectively. The Dice shuddered at the blast of wind, but continued to attack. Jiraiya launched it's shurikens as Tomoe knocked a dice towards Crystal, who punched it. The Dice floated away, and his sister jumped next to him, shaking her hand.

"That didn't work as well as I hoped it would"

"Punching a block of metal usually doesn't".

Chie fell back as a dice rammed into her, and he slashed the Dice away.

"Bronze Dice are resistant to Physical moves!".

"Izanagi!".

Angel turned into Izanagi as a blast of electricity hit both Dice.

"They're weak to Zio!".

Izanagi lifted up his nanigata, sparks crackling. And at the same time, the Dice started to glow. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the same time Crystal created an earthen wall around them. There was a resounding boom as the wall shuddered, before Crystal let it collapse. The Dice were gone. And Souji and Yosuke were unconscious, their Persona's cradling them protectively as they started to fade.

"Sensei!"

"Yosuke!".

Crystal wasted no time and ran up to Souji, the Revival Bead in her hand. Izanagi immediately glared at her, electricity crackling. Even if the Persona was see through, it was still intimidating. Crystal held up her hands.

"I'm just reviving him".

Izanagi looked at his sister, and for a moment her was ready to push her out of the way. A bolt of electricity wouldn't hurt him. Instead, Izanagi looked back down at Souji, and Crystal kneeled next to him.

"So, does he have to ingest it, or-?".

Izanagi took the bead and crushed it. It's fragments glowed, and Souji groaned, before getting up.

"Easy there,", Crystal said, helping him up as Izanagi solidified.

He turned to see Chie doing the same thing for Yosuke. "

Are you guys okay?," he asked. Yosuke looked at him blearily.

"Dude, we just got hit by an explosion point blank. You tell us".

He supposed he deserved that. He noticed Teddie looking downcast beside him.

"What's wrong?," he asked the bear.

"I should have sensed those Shadow's coming. Maybe my nose isn't as useful as I thought it was," Teddie said miserably. He looked at the bear for a moment.

"Without you, we never even would've found this place, let alone anyone in it. Don't be so hard on yourself". Teddie looked at him in surprise.

"Where did you say this person was again?"

"Huh? Oh, they should be around the corner!".

He nodded, before turning to Souji. "Lead on Leader. It would appear our quarry is nearby". Souji looked at him, before nodding.

* * *

They made their way around the corner and towards the door.

"Is this it Ted?".

Teddie nodded.

"Yup, I sense someone behind the door".

Chie nodded, "Right!," before kicking the door. They rushed into the room to find Shadow Yukiko. And a gigantic, monstrous knight fused to an equally monstrous horse. The knight glared at them with glaring yellow eyes.

**"Ohohoho. So my special guests have returned. Perhaps...**," Shadow Yukiko mused, **"Perhaps you are my Princes! If so, please, you must rescue me! I am a trapped soul. I can not leave this castle even if I want. If you are my Princes, please rescue me!"**.

The look of hope on Shadow Yukiko's face was startlingly palpable, and he concentrated on ignoring it. It wouldn't do good to get distracted now. Shadow Yukiko gestured to the knight beside her.

**"My Princes would be able to easily save me from the clutches of the Avenger Knight. If you truly are my Princes, then prove it"**. Shadow Yukiko clapped, and the Shadow reared back and roared. At the same time, Shadow Yukiko ran away.

"Wait, come back-!".

Chie was cut off as Tomoe pulled her back, Chie narrowly avoiding the Avenger Knight's lance. The Knight roared again, and charged at them, sending them scattering.

"This one's really dangerous! Be careful!," Teddie warned.

Tomoe smacked the Knight with her spear, only for it to shrug it off. It similarly did the same for Jiriaya's shurikens. The Knight charged towards Souji and Yosuke, and they leapt to the side. His sister on the other hand...

"That's it, now crash!".

She formed a large stone wall, and he sighed. His sister was just as stubborn as the earth she controlled. The Knight, continued to charge, before suddenly stopping an inch form the wall, and twirling it's lance, crushing the wall. The only reason his sister wasn't skewered there was because she slide back, and Jiraiya hit the Knight in the back of it's head with it's shurikens. The Knight paused, before glaring at Yosuke and charging at breakneck speeds towards him. Yosuke yelped, and leapt to the side. Not fast enough though, as the Knight landed a glancing blow on Yosuke. Yosuke fell with a cry of pain, and Jiraiya angrily launched a blast of wind at the knight, standing in front of Yosuke protectively.

"Yosuke!," Both Souji and Chie called, running towards him. The Knight raised it's lance upwards, before bringing it down. And he acted. He threw his scythe, a move which had taken a painstakingly long time to learn, and it flew true, whirling through the air and into the Knight's head. The Knight roared in pain and stumbled, and Tomoe launched a Bufu at it while Chie stood in front of Yosuke protectively, Souji using Pixie to heal him. The Knight raised it's lance again, only for his sister to tackle it, shoulder covered in craggy rocks. Chie quickly joined in, kicking the Knight's horse in the head. The Knight fell back under the assault. Teddie was cheering next to him.

"Go get him guys!".

Souji helped Yosuke up. And at the same time the Knight roared, glowing red.

"Oh no! It's using Power Charge!," Teddie screamed.

His heart dropped as the Knight sent Chie flying back, before launching his sister into the wall. And then it charged at Souji and Yosuke. Pixie launched a bolt of electricity at it, but it continued to charge.

"Sensei, watch out!".

Souji looked up in surprise, and lifted his hand to change Persona just as the Knight lifted up it's lance. No choice now. Just as Pixie changed to Izanagi, he fell to his knees and called upon the shadows.

* * *

**Souji**

He looked at the Avenger Knight in surprise. The Avenger Knight which was now ensnared as multiple shadowy tendrils enveloped it from the ground, holding it in place. The Knight started to thrash around, the shadows holding it in place. He followed them to see Florence visibly straining. Florence's electric blue eyes locked onto his own.

"Do something, I can't hold him forever!".

He looked at the glowing Knight, who with the scythe sticking out of it's head resembled an odd unicorn. How? nothing had worked so far. Physical, Bufu, Garu, Zio... _What about Agi?_ Senri suddenly asked. He looked at the Knight for a moment.

"Senri!".

Izanagi changed into a woman with white feline features. Senri launched a ball of fire at the Knight, and it burst into flames like dry wood, making a startled Florence release it. The Knight started to run around wildly, still on fire. He sighed in relief, before turning it Senri. And seeing the predatory gleam in her eyes. The uneasy feeling returned tenfold, and he took a step back.

_My my, you are a handsome one_ Senri purred, stepping closer. He backpedaled.

"Hey, partner, what's wrong?," Yosuke asked, cupping the recently healed cut in his side. Senri glanced at Yosuke, assessing him. _This one's not bad on the eye's either_ she said with a smile. Yosuke blinked owlishly, before his eyes widened and he stepped back.

_Senri_ Angel said warningly. _What?_ Senri asked innocently. _You_ _know what! Souji, get rid of her immediately! Senri are creatures that sleep with men and feed of their vitality!_ Pixie snapped.

_I would never do that to him_ Senri said, affronted. _At least, not the second one_ she said with a wink.

He stepped back again. He was broken out of his thoughts by a sudden roar, and whirled to see the Avenger Knight, no longer ablaze, right on top of them. Jiraiya pulled Yosuke away, and he felt Senri pull him out of its path. He glanced to see Senri, face devoid of all playfulness. She flicked her hand almost contemptuously, and the Knight was set on fire one again. It started to stumble and run wildly, and a tendril of shadow rose to pluck the scythe out of it's head, before slashing at it violently. The Knight screamed, before falling and dissolving. The tendril receded, taking the scythe with it, and Florence walked up to them.

"So, uh...Quite an interesting power you have there," Yosuke said awkwardly.

"I get that reaction quite a bit," Florence said with a smile. The smile quickly vanished, and Florence whirled around.

"Sister!".

They followed his gaze to see Chie cradling a limp Crystal. They quickly ran towards them, and he switched Senri to Pixie.

"She's bleeding a lot," Chie said anxiously, not looking too good herself. Florence kneeled next to his sister.

"Crystal?," Florence asked softly. All he got was a groan. He turned to Pixie, who quickly flew towards her and started to use Dia. After a moment, Crystal opened her eyes blearily, and sat up, rubbing her head. Crystal looked at her now bloodstained hand, before looking at them.

"Anyone have any bandages...?".

He quickly got out the first aid kit, and Florence took it. Shadowy tendrils rose from the ground again, and he unrolled the bandages, wrapping Crystal's head. The tendrils, once iron strong, were now gentle. Florence reached into his suit, and took out a small canteen of water. He soaked some bandages in water.

"Chie, can you freeze these for me?"

"Yeah". Tomoe used Bufu, and Florence looked at the block of ice in his hand.

"Oops?," Chie said sheepishly. Florence said nothing, and handed the block of ice to his sister.

"Do you feel better?," Florence asked. Crystal nodded, putting the block of ice to her head, before standing up shakily.

"Wait, your head-," Yosuke started.

"I'm not going to be the thing that drags us down. We have to hurry," Crystal said with a glare. He looked at the smaller girl for a moment.

"Crystal-"

"Sister".

They looked at Florence. Florence looked at his sister for a moment, before a tendril of shadow whipped right in front of her face. Crystal flinched back and fell, only to be caught by Yosuke.

"You are in no condition to fight. You must rest"

"But-!".

"Crystal," he interrupted, "he's right. You have to rest. We all have to rest. We'll take a small brake for now. Just sit down and recuperate".

Crystal looked at him, frowning.

"But what about the Shadows? And Yukiko?"

"I'll stand guard in case any Shadow's try to attack. And Yukiko will be fine even if we take a small break," he said firmly. Crystal looked at him, before pouting and sitting down. He looked at everybody else.

"That goes for you too".

Chie frowned, but also sat down. Yosuke sat next to Crystal, and to her surprise Jiraiya started to use Dia on her.

"What-?"

"Your head can't be healed up. Just relax".

Crystal remained silent, and he walked to the center of the room. After a while, Florence walked up to him and stood at his side, scythe in hand. They stood their in silence for a while. He turned to Florence.

"You're not going to rest?". Florence shook his head.

"I have no need to. I haven't been injured as so far".

The conversation lapsed into silence again.

"I apologize for my sister. She can be a bit stubborn-a lot stubborn. She means well always"

"It's okay. It's nice knowing she has our backs". Florence looked at him curiously.

"I must also apologize for keeping so many secrets"

"I don't mind"

"You don't? Speak truthfully"

"...It bothers me a bit. I am curious. But like I said before, everybody has secrets. I'm not one to pry"

"So you don't care about our secrets? You would still remain friends?".

He detected the undertone behind that question, and thought about it.

"Yes. I don't think you have any dark secrets, after all. To judge someone on only one thing isn't particularly fair. Usually".

Judging by Florence's smile, he said the right thing.

"I do believe that we were lucky to meet you people, out of anybody," Florence said earnestly.

He smiled, and time suddenly stopped with a crash of glass. A card with a grim skull appeared on it. _Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou hast Formed A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Have Art Blessings When Creating Persona Of The Death Arcana_. Time started to flow again, and he looked at Florence for a minute before looking forward again.

"...I do have a question though"

"Hmm?"

"I am curious about your powers".

Florence gave a soft grin, and the shadows on the ground twisted erratically.

"As you can see, I am what you can call an umbrakinetic. Beside that...I need either Pixie or Izanagi for this demonstration".

Pixie, who had been sitting on his shoulder, looked up in surprise. _Me?_. Florence nodded, and Pixie fluttered up before flying in front of Florence. _What do you need?_

"I simply need you to hit me with a Zio".

Both he and Pixie looked at Florence in surprise. Seeing as Florence looked completely serious, he sighed.

"If you get hurt, we aren't responsible".

With that, Pixie hit Florence straight in the face with a Zio. Instead of hurting him, the electricity seemed to...flow into him. Florence closed his eyes as electricity sparked across his suit, before opening now neon blue eyes. Florence chuckled softly, lifting his arm so his palm faced outwards, fingers outstretched as sparks jumped from finger to finger.

"Electricity," he stated. Florence nodded.

"So shadows and electricity...anything else?"

"I'm good at gardening"

* * *

"Okay, I think we've rested enough," Crystal said, getting up. Besides from slight unsteadiness, she seemed fine.

"Right. Now that we've rested...," Chie said, stretching,"We'll be able to save Yukiko for sure!".

He helped Yosuke up.

"Sister, while I'm sure you're able to fight, I would rather you stay in the back for a while. Only for a while," Florence said, while Crystal glared at him.

"Fine. But only for a while!".

"Hey, Sensei". He looked at Teddie.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't say anything earlier, but the Shadow did drop something". Teddie rummaged in more invisible pockets, before removing something and giving it to him. He took it gently. It was a immaculate glass key. It looked delicate, but felt sturdy. Chie looked at it. "

A glass key? Wasn't that in a fairy tale or something?".

"A fairy tale, huh? Fitting, since we're in a castle and all," Yosuke said.

"Cinderella". They looked at Crystal.

"Cinderella?"

"Yeah. Remember the glass slipper? My brother read it to me once. My other brother," she clarified. They looked at the glass key for a while, before Chie shook her head.

"Forget about the key, it's time we get going!". They nodded and quickly ran up to the next floor.

* * *

Yukiko's voice wasn't the only voice on the six floor.

"In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school!". He blinked in surprise on hearing the interviewer from the interview. "Now that has a nice ring to it...Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!".

"Shut up," Yukiko's voice muttered.

"H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something...? Is it true the announcer is staying at your family inn?".

"Shut up! Shut up!," Yukiko yelled.

"Someday, though...That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors".

"Leave me alone!," Yukiko cried out.

As the voices continued, he saw Chie getting tenser and tenser in the corner of his vision. Both Yosuke and Florence glanced at her worriedly. The voices stopped, and Chie's head snapped up. She silently walked forwards, and the rest of them followed. All the sudden, there was a skittering sound and a huge red beetle wearing a crown skittered into sight, before charging at them. Without a sound, Chie glared at the beetle, before Tomoe launched a Bufu at it, knocking it off it's feet. Immediately, Tomoe rushed towards it and whacked the beetle with her staff. There was a loud cracking sound, and the beetle started to skitter around rapidly, before falling under Tomoe's continued and brutal assault. They looked at Chie, who was breathing deeply.

"Uh, Chie...?," Yosuke asked warily. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Then they all jerked back when Chie let out a loud yell.

"I've had it with this place! Hang on Yukiko, I'm coming for you!," she yelled, eyes alight with determination. She quickly rushed on ahead, and they horridly followed after her.

* * *

It turned out Chie didn't need much help. She rushed through the floor, destroying any Shadow that got in her way, leaving them to run after her. He silently observed each brutal attack Chie used, and he also observed how unnaturally calm she was. It was quite impressive. _Impressive?_ Pixie said with a gulp as Chie dispatched of another Burning Beetle _I'd say more intimidating._

_ The girl's determination to save her friend...It is truly a thing to behold_ Angel said with warm appraisal.

_She's a feisty one alright_ Senri said with her usual catlike playfulness. They continued to run after Chie, who might as well have been a one-woman army. But even she had her limits.

"I see the stairs!," Yosuke called out. Chie, who had been panting before, immediately stood up straight.

"Come on! Let's keep going!"

"Easy there Chie. We can't let our guard down now".

Just as Yosuke said that, there was a sudden blast of air as a Garu hit them. He fell to the floor with a wince as Izanagi flinched back.

"What the hell-!," Yosuke started, still standing on his feet. He was interrupted by three humanoid Shadows wearing hoods suddenly surrounding them. The Shadows spun in place, before launching another Garu at them. He flinched back, bracing himself for the blast of wind. Instead he was surrounded by a wall of earth.

"I forgot, wind was your weakness," Crystal said, standing above him.

"Shit, we're surrounded," Yosuke said, grimacing while Jiraiya launched it's shurikens at the Shadows.

"Sensei, be careful! Phantom Mages are 'beary' good at wind skills!," Teddie warned.

He grimaced and changed Izanagi into Angel, who outstretched her wings to cover both him and Crystal.

"Just get out of our way!," Chie yelled, before Tomoe launched herself at the Mages, Chie also throwing herself into the fray. The Mages jumped up into the air and launched a trifecta of Garu at her, and Chie fell back with a slight cry.

"Damn it Chie, stop throwing yourself at them!," Yosuke snapped.

Chie just growled before launching herself at the Shadows again. The Mages flew back into the air. All except for one, which quickly found itself ensnared by shadows. The Mage looked around wildly, struggling, before looking at it's imminent death in the form of a roundhouse kick followed by a spear. If the other two Mages were upset by their comrades death, they didn't have time to mourn, as Tomoe launched a Bufu at one of them, stunning it long enough for Florence to ensnare it. Florence gave a grim, taunting smile, before discharging a massive amount of electricity, killing the Shadow instantly.

"Zio is there weakness! We're in rampage mode!," Teddie cheered.

The last Mage looked at them, before suddenly lifting its arms, a sphere of darkness forming. Watch out! It's about to use the power of darkness! Angel cried out. Before the warning could register, the Mage launched the sphere at Chie, hitting her dead on. Chie had enough time to look at them with a shocked expression, before falling to the ground, Tomoe fading.

"Chie!," Yosuke cried out.

Both he and Crystal looked at the scene in shock. Shock turned to anger as Crystal growled, the floor shifting under them, and Angel outstretched her wings, forming a Hama. Both were unnecessary as the Shadow suddenly got wrapped in shadows, Florence appearing behind it. The Mage only had time to turn to stare at him before the scythe was leveled towards it's neck.

"Finished," Florence whispered, before slashing the scythe in a wide arc, electricity flaring. The Shadow dissolved, and Florence quickly ran up to them.

"Is she-?," Florence asked.

He quickly kneeled down to check her pulse. For a slight moment, he panicked. Then, he felt a soft pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's just unconscious," he said.

"That's a relief...What was that attack?," Yosuke asked.

"It's called Mudo. It'll instantly take you out, so be 'beary' careful," Teddie said.

He nodded, taking out the Revival Bead.

"So it's like Hama". Angel nodded. He held the Bead over Chie, before crushing it. Chie groaned, before getting up.

"How do you feel?," Crystal asked.

"Like someone doused me in ice," Chie said with a shiver.

"Hopefully this will teach you to not rush into battle," Yosuke chided her while Jiraiya used Dia. Chie just rolled her eyes and muttered, but didn't say anything else. There was a brief moment of silence, before Crystal cleared her throat.

"Uh, if it's any consolation, we only have one more floor to go before reaching the top," she said.

"Huh. I guess that means Yukiko's at the top," Yosuke said.

"Most likely".

Yosuke groaned.

"What a cliché, the Princess being locked at the top of the tower".

He gave a small smile, before getting up.

"Now then, shall we go save our Princess?," he asked everybody, giving Chie a hand. She rolled her eyes but got up with a smile, while everyone else grinned. Florence suddenly prodded him, and he looked at the junior questioningly.

"You have some cards waiting for you," he said, pointing to the spot the last Shadow died.

Indeed, there were three cards hovering expectantly. He nodded in thanks and stepped towards them, before grabbing one of the cards. The rest dissolved, and Angel turned into a beautiful, stone faced woman garbed in armor and a mask. She held two swords, and her long blond hair billowed behind her. She rode a large, pink horse, that neighed as it reared heroically.

_I am Valkyrie. Maiden of the North, servant of Odin, Warrior of Valhalla, Chooser of The Slain. I will help you in your battles, young warrior_ she said, horse kneeling in a bow. He questioned whether or not to bow too, before deciding just to nod. His thoughts were very violently broken by Pixie.

_Oh my God! It's a horsey!_ she squealed. He cupped his ears in pain, though it didn't do much, while Valkyrie looked confused. 'Pixie?' he thought. _Sorry_ she apologized _It's just that I love ponies. Do you think she'll let me ride it?_ she asked with an almost childlike innocence. He blinked. 'You'd have to ask her yourself. Just please try to be quieter in the future'. Pixie gave the mental equivalent of a nod, and he beckoned to everyone else, before climbing up the stairs, Valkyrie's horse clopping beside him.

* * *

They were on the seventh floor, and the Shadows seemed desperate to stop them. They quickly ran into a room and closed the door behind them, trying to escape a Shadow. He and Yosuke braced themselves against the door until the pounding stopped. Yosuke sighed.

"And suddenly I'm glad the doors in this castle are so sturdy".

"Hey guys?," Chie called out. they both looked at her to see her looking at a chest in interest.

"Should we open it?".

"I say we open it," Crystal said.

"I don't know...I got a 'beary' bad feeling about this," Teddie said.

Chie and Crystal just looked at him expectantly. He thought for a moment. And by thought, he meant thinking while his Personas argued. _I say go for it_ Senri said. _It would be unwise to do so if the bear has a bad feeling_ Angel argued. _You're just too scared. Where's your curiosity?_. _Didn't curiosity kill the cat?_ Pixie asked. _There is no use in doing anything without courage_ Valkyrie said suddenly. He thought for another minute, before nodding. Crystal smiled, before opening the chest. And jumping back as a Shadow popped out.

The Shadow looked like a king, scepter and all.

"Crap, it was a trap!," Yosuke said.

"Heh, it's only one. This will be easy!," Crystal boasted.

The king lifted up's its scepter, and with a flash of light another Shadow appeared next to it.

"The Positive King's summoning back up!".

The back up was revealed to be...A mossy baby. Said mossy baby immediately crawled up to Crystal with surprising swiftness, and knocked her across the room. He watched as the King summoned another baby. This was going to be annoying...

* * *

The battle went for a long, annoyingly dragged out time. The King kept on summoning Secret Bambinos as Teddie called them, and hadn't gotten hit once. Until Crystal caused a small earthquake, hitting it with four earthen pillars. She quickly got swarmed by Bambinos. He watched as the King was about to summon another Bambino. Not on his watch.

"Angel!"

_ Right! Perish, Foul Being!_ Angel launched a Hama at the King, and it exploded in a flash of light. A few minutes later, the rest of the Bambinos were taken care of.

"Heh...That was a pain," Yosuke said. Crystal nodded, breathing deeply, while Chie and Florence fell to the floor in exhaustion.

He looked up as cards suddenly appeared, and wearily chose one. For a moment, there was a calm silence. Then he fell to the ground as a sudden panic overtook him. He could feel Izanagi thrash around in his mind, and the only thing he could see was a far too wide grin and throaty chuckling. He clutched his head and was faintly aware of people calling out his name as his vision got darker. Then, the sudden panic was suddenly gone, and he felt arms wrap around him. Arms and wings. He looked up to see Angel, staring at him in concern.

"What...What happened?," he rasped, not realizing he was talking aloud. _The Persona you acquired...momentarily sent Izanagi into panic_ He blinked in surprise. What kind of thing could be so bad to panic Izanagi...? _Don't worry, we subdued it_ Pixie said. _Senri and Valkyrie are guarding her. She's been locked in a room. Izanagi's with me_. He felt Izanagi send a wordless apology as he calmed down.

"Dude. Partner!".

He looked up to see everyone stare at him in concern.

"Are you okay?," Crystal asked, worried. Chie, Yosuke, and Teddie were staring at him with similar worry, while Florence faced the door, sending concerned glances his way. He nodded.

"Sorry...The new Persona and Izanagi didn't...agree".

Yosuke sighed. "You're telling me. You suddenly went ridged before falling to your knees and screaming. I thought you were having a seizure!".

Chie nodded. "I don't blame him though. That Persona was...," Chie just shivered.

"You guys saw it?," he asked. Yosuke nodded.

"Yeah. Only for a split second, but still".

He thought about asking them about what it looked like, before deciding against it. The grin was enough for him. He stood up unsteadily, before looking at everyone else.

"Let's keep on going". They all looked at him uncertainly.

"Souji...You don't look to good. Maybe we should go back".

What was surprising was that Chie said that, off all people. He looked at her in surprise, before shaking his head, thinking of Yukiko.

"No. We've come too far to go back. I promised to save Yukiko, remember?".

Chie opened her mouth to argue. Yosuke interrupted her.

"You're stubborn aren't you," Yosuke said with a groan. "Fine. Let us handle the Shadows for a while though. I promised to save Yukiko-san too, remember?".

He looked at Yosuke gratefully.

"Thanks Partner". Yosuke grinned and winked.

"Don't mention it Partner".

"Guys...," Chie said, looking at the both of them.

Crystal thumped her chest. "We all promised to save her. And we only got less than a floor left! Let's go!," she proclaimed. Florence hummed in agreement, and Chie looked at them all before smiling.

"Yeah...Don't worry Yukiko! We're coming to save you!".

* * *

They made it to the eighth floor without much trouble. And were met by a large, oak door.

"This looks like a boss room if I've ever seen one," Yosuke groaned.

Chie glared at the door.

"Yukiko's on the other side! Let's get in there!". Crystal nodded, and lifted her fist up. Florence interrupted them.

"Must you always do this?," Florence said with a sigh, before turning to him.

"Leader, if I remember, you had a key with you, yes?".

He nodded, before taking the Glass Key out of his pocket. It was surprisingly unbroken for all the abuse they had suffered. He took a step towards the door, only for Teddie to stop him.

"Wait. My nose smells danger"

"So, Yukiko-san's on the other side. We have to enter"

"I know. I just found this in the chest from before". Teddie took out a small bottle, before giving it to them. the label read 'Snuff Soul'.

"What is it?," he asked.

"It'll give you energy," Teddie said. He looked at it, before opening it and taking it a small sip. He passed it to everyone else.

"Huh...I can feel it revitalize me!," Chie said. Yosuke just twirled his wrenches, and Crystal practice punched the air. Florence spun his scythe, before looking at him.

"Are you ready?".

He nodded, before putting the key and opening the door. Chie and Crystal kicked and punched the door open, and they rushed in.

**"Oh my...My Princes-in-training have arrived"**.

* * *

**Author's Note: The conversations between the Personas is best understood by people who know quite a bit of mythology. For instance, Pixie's love for ponies and Izanagi's fear of Yomotsu-Shikome. **

**Like said before, Reviews are welcome, though no flames. And poor Investigation Team. They have to fight Shadow Yukiko after going through this whole castle with only one shared Snuff Soul to give them stamina.**

**Tune in next time, which may be a month or may not.**


	11. Chapter 11:Waltzing Through The Flames

**'That was a good lunch, wasn't it?'**

**It was ****adequate**

**'There's never any praise from you, is there? Always a Critical Cathy.'**

**I don't think that's a phrase**

**'Sure it is, right-What are you doing?'**

**"Hmm? Oh, I was just looking at the title"**

**' 'Waltzing through the Flames', huh? Sounds wonderful'**

**"It does, doesn't it? I've always loved a good old ballroom dance. Always dreamed of being invited to one as a little girl"**

**He's being sarcastic**

**"Oh. Well...I knew that"**

**Sure you did**

**"I totally knew that-Wah! M-Milord, what're you d-doing?"**

**'You said you always dreamed about being invited to a ballroom dance, right? Well, I know how to dance. So let's do it.'**

**"B-But..."**

**'Just relax and follow my lead'**

**...I'll go get the matches**

The author doesn't own Persona. That belongs to Atlus and it's creators. All the author owns are the original ideas and original characters

* * *

**Chapter 11: Waltzing through the Flames**

**Souji**

"Yukiko!" Chie cried out.

In front of them was Yukiko, wearing the same pink kimono he had seen her wearing last time. And in front of her, sitting regally on a throne, was her Shadow.

"I knew there were two of her," Yosuke said on seeing Shadow Yukiko.

Yukiko turned to look at them in surprise.

"Chie?" she asked disbelievingly.

Shadow Yukiko smiled from her throne, and tilted her head, looking at them curiously.

"**Oh? Ohhhhh? What's this? Four Princes are here to see me?**"

It didn't take long for him to realize that she was talking about them, and Florence suddenly looked uncomfortable. Shadow Yukiko tittered, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"**Are you perhaps the special guests that arrived late to the ball? I couldn't recognize you for a second**". Shadow Yukiko gave a pleased sigh. "**You have become True Princes, not just Princes-in-Training**". Shadow Yukiko then pouted. "**I wish I'd gotten a better look at you before though**".

Shadow Yukiko got up from her throne and walked down the stairs. The look in her eyes reminded him uncomfortably of Senri.

"**Why** **don't you and I go somewhere less crowded? To a land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, wouldn't you?**," the Shadow asked them with a suggestive whisper.

At this point, Chie was staring at the Shadow in complete flabbergast, while Yosuke and Florence looked uncomfortably to the side, Florence covering his eyes with his hat. It was at this moment that Teddie came to a realization.

"Ohh, is this what 'scoring a hot stud' means?" he asked.

Crystal slapped him upside the head.

"Now's not the time for that".

"Four Princes...Does she mean me too?" Chie asked, pointing to herself.

"No, she obviously means me!" Teddie said confidently. At the same time, Crystal muttered, "Well, I doubt she means me".

Shadow Yukiko looked at Chie in contemplation.

"**Yes...Chie is my Prince**," she said without any doubt in her voice. They all looked at Chie, who was still pointing to herself, and looking around as if there was another Chie in the room.

"**She always leads the way...Chie's a strong Prince**," Shadow Yukiko said, smiling.

The smile immediately turned into a sneer. "**Or at least she was**".

"Was?" Chie repeated with confusion.

"**When it comes down to it, Chie is just not good enough!**" Shadow Yukiko started to gesture angrily.

"**She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!**"

Chie looked at Shadow Yukiko sadly.

"Yukiko..."

At this moment the real Yukiko got up from the ground with a pained expression.

"S-Stop..." she demanded weakly.

Shadow Yukiko continued to yell.

"**Historic Inn, Managerial Training!? I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live to where I die!**"

Shadow Yukiko violently ripped the tiara from her head and threw it aside.

"**I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all!**"

Yukiko stepped forward. "That's not true..." she protested.

Shadow Yukiko started to pace around.

"**I just want to go somewhere far away**," she simpered, "**Anywhere but here. Someone, please take me away. I can't leave on my own. I'm completely useless.**"

"Stop it. Please stop...," Yukiko pleaded, looking to be on the verge of tears.

"**There's no hope if I stay, and I have no courage to leave**," Shadow Yukiko continued mockingly.

"**So I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come! I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical Tradition, Pride of the Town!? What a bunch of bullshit!**"

Yukiko glared at her Shadow weakly.

"How dare you...?"

Throughout this entire thing, Chie was staring at the scene, seemingly tore between shock and the desire to run in there to save her friend. Shadow Yukiko took a breath and composed herself, smiling again. This smile had a bitter tone to it though.

"**That's how I really feel. Isn't that right...me!?**"

Yukiko looked at her Shadow, shaking her head in denial.

"N-No..."

They all realized what was about to happen next.

"No! Stop! Don't say it!" Yosuke shouted.

Chie snapped out of her daze and ran towards Yukiko, only to trip and fall on her face. A closer look revealed that the threads of the red carpet had come loose entangling Chie's ankles. If Chie had been affected by her face plant, she didn't show it.

"Yukiko!" She called out, struggling against the threads while reaching out for the figure garbed in the kimono.

"No! You're not me!" Yukiko yelled.

For a moment it was completely silent. The silence was broken by Shadow Yukiko's near maniacal laughter.

"**Heeheehee...Hahahahaha!**"

Shadow Yukiko clutched her stomach, long black hair falling in her face while giving a chilling smile.

"**Aaah! This feels wonderful! It's building...more and more...If this keeps up...I'll...I'll...!**".

Shadow Yukiko gave a loud gasp.

"**Ahaha! Ahahahahaha!**"

All the candles in the room suddenly flared up, and the tapestries, and more importantly, the rug caught fire. Chie stopped struggling, looking at the flames in horror, before continuing her frantic struggle. Both he and Yosuke snapped out of their stupor, and rushed to her side, trying to cut her free. Both were cursing the fake katana and its blunt blade. There was a loud tinkling sound, and they all looked up, and froze when they saw a chandelier falling from the roof.

"Crap!" There was a sudden grinding sound as stone pillars erupted around them, blocking the chandelier. Crystal ran up beside them.

"Get her free, quick! She's about to do somethi-!"

She was cut off by an explosion of red light. They turned towards the light, just to see a cage, fixed upon an even larger chandelier fall from the ceiling and crash onto the floor. Inside the cage was a vermilion bird with a white heart shaped breast and Yukiko's face and raven hair. The bird looked very cramped and uncomfortable, and why was soon to be revealed as she opened the cage door, showing a massive wingspan. At the same time, the real Yukiko was suddenly trapped in a cage that erupted from the ground, before rising up in the air by a chain.

"Yukiko!," Chie cried hysterically, further entangling herself.

"**I am a Shadow...The True Self!**," Yukiko cawed, "**Now my Prince, why don't we dance and make merry together?**".

Shadow Yukiko's feathers glowed, and she sent a blast of fire towards them. Tomoe rushed in to intercept, only to writhe and fall to the floor as the fire hit her. He flinched on hearing Chie scream in pain.

"Chie!," Yosuke said.

Shadow Yukiko cawed again, and sent another blast of fire. Izanagi and Jiraiya stood in front of Tomoe protectively. Before the flames hit, he felt a sudden chill, and all he saw was black. He felt as if he was falling, and before he knew it, they were suddenly behind Florence. He looked at the spot they were, which was now ablaze. Yosuke looked around wildly, while Crystal was busy trying to pull off the threads ensnaring Chie.

"Brother," she grunted, tearing the threads, freeing Chie, "Next time you Shadow Travel us, warn us please?".

Florence just nodded. Chie jumped up to her feet.

"Hang on Yukiko, I'm right here for you!," she said, taking a battle stance. Shadow Yukiko just chuckled.

"**Oh** **really? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!**," sending a wave of fire towards them. Fire met rock as Crystal created a wall of stone.

"We need to do something, quick," Crystal said. He nodded.

"Crystal, I need you to distract her."

"Got it."

"Yosuke, you're with me. We're going to attack her with everything we got."

"Got it Partner."

"What about me?!," Chie asked, glaring at him.

"I can fight too!"

"I know. But you and Florence need to save Yukiko".

Chie just blinked, and Florence nodded.

"Does everyone know what they're doing?".

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Then let's go!".

Crystal created an opening in the wall, and he and Yosuke ran through it. Shadow Yukiko watched them with glee.

"**Oh, looks like you haven't had your fill of divorcing!**".

He laughter was interrupted by a boulder suddenly hitting the chandelier.

"Distract it eh? Easy! After all, rock beats bird!".

More stones flew towards Shadow Yukiko, and in response, she sent a wave of fire. The Shadow shrieked.

"**You little...**"

* * *

**Chie**

As soon as Souji and Yosuke ran out, she ran towards the cage Yukiko was trapped in, Florence not far behind her. She looked up at the unconscious form of Yukiko in the cage and ground her teeth. Florence stopped next to her.

"We'll save you Yukiko, don't worry," she muttered.

She turned to Florence.

"Any ideas?".

Florence just looked up at the cage, before suddenly grabbing her hand as shadows engulfed them again. For a moment, the all encompassing darkness reminded her uncomfortably of the Mudo, and she gripped Florence's hand tighter. As suddenly as it happened, the shadows receded, and she sighed in relief. Only to notice they were standing on top of the cage, thirty feet above the floor. She gave a small 'eep' and clutched the bars of the cage. Florence started climbing down the cage, before looking up at her.

"Chie, I need you to wake up Yukiko," he said, before shaking the door of the cage with a frown.

She nodded, before looking at Yukiko. A torrent of emotions was surging through her-worry, joy, terror, but most of all relief. Relief that Yukiko was okay. She shook her head. There was no time to relax right now. She reached through the bars, and shook Yukiko's shoulders.

"Yukiko, wake up," she said gently, though hurriedly.

Yukiko groaned softly, and her eyes fluttered open.

"Chie...". She cringed at how weak her voice sounded.

"Don't worry, just hang in there," she said supportively, before looking at Florence, who was attempting to pry open the cage with tendrils of shadows. He wasn't having much success. She started on hearing the defiant cries of everybody else and the laughter of Shadow Yukiko, before narrowing her eyes. Tomoe appeared behind her, and pried open the bars of the cage with her hands, opening a wide hole. Florence looked at her for a minute, before nodding.

"I suppose that worked better than my attempts".

Florence shifted to the side, and outstretched a hand towards Yukiko, who looked at him in shock.

"Miss Yukiko, we need to get out of here," Florence urged.

Yukiko glanced at her, and she smiled reassuringly, before climbing down slowly and reaching into the cage. Yukiko made her way towards the door, before latching herself onto her, much to her surprise. Tomoe supported both of them, making sure they didn't fall.

"I knew you would save me...," Yukiko muttered, half lucid.

She just kept a arm around Yukiko, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She turned to look at Florence.

"So, how do we got off of this cage?"

"Same way we got here. Hang-".

**"You're saving her!?"**.

They turned to see Shadow Yukiko glaring at them, looking betrayed.

**"No! You're my Prince, not hers!"**, she screeched, before sending a torrent of flames towards them.

She froze as the flames came closer, remembering their bite. Just as the flames came within feet of them, , Florence jumped off the cage in front of them, and shadows covered her vision. She hugged Yukiko close, and before she knew it, she collided against the ground.

"Chie-chan!".

She opened her eyes to see Teddie hover over her worriedly. They were behind the wall. She looked at Yukiko worriedly, only to sigh in relief as she saw she was only unconscious. She gently laid Yukiko on the ground, before turning to Florence.

"Heh, that was a nice save th-".

The words caught in her throat as she saw Florence leaning against the wall, face contorted in pain. Half of his suit was burnt off, and his arm was covered in angry red burns.

"Florence!," she cried out, running up to him.

Florence opened his eyes, and for a second she thought they looked gold. Florence blinked and they were back to their electric blue barred his teeth in pain, shadows flaring erratically.

"Hang on, I'll get Souji and-"

"No. Focus on fighting off the Shadow," Florence interrupted.

She hesitated.

"But-"

"I'll be fine. We need to defeat the Shadow first," Florence said firmly.

She looked at him, before looking at the space above the wall, where the light was an almost hellish red, before standing up.

"You'll be okay?".

Florence barred his teeth in a smile.

"I've been better, but I've also been worse. I'll be fine".

She nodded, before turning to Teddie.

"Teddie, take care of Yukiko and Florence"

"Y-Yes!".

She nodded, before turning to the opening in the wall. she stretched while Tomoe cracked her knuckles.

"Alright...Now it's our turn. Time to deliver a stomping!"

* * *

**Souji**

**"Agi!"**.

He and Izanagi backpedaled to avoid a blast of fire. Though that was hard to do, considering the entire room was on fire. Crystal was busy covering Yosuke, who was peppering Shadow Chie with Garu after Garu. He hissed as heat licked at him.

_Souji, summon me. The flames won't hurt you _Senri urged.

'But can you hurt her?'.

Senri didn't answer, and Izanagi launched itself at Shadow Yukiko, only to fall back as Shadow Yukiko caught fire. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

_Young Warrior, summon me_ Valkyrie said suddenly.

He blinked, before summoning Valkyrie. The Maiden of the North lifted her shield up to block an Agi, before launching a Bufu. The effect was instantaneous, and Shadow Yukiko shrieked in pain as the flames on her body died to embers.

"Alright Partner, you found it's weakness!," Yosuke cheered.

Valkyrie galloped towards Shadow Yukiko, raising her swords. There was a bright flash of light as the swords were covered in ice, and Valkyrie slashed at Shadow Yukiko. Shadow Yukiko cried in pain, and lunged towards Valkyrie, only to hit the shields. Valkyrie pranced out of Shadow Yukiko's range and launched another Bufu. Shadow Yukiko glared at them.

"**It appears I was mistaken. You're no Prince, you're a commoner! Die, commoner filth!**," she cawed, flames bursting to life.

"Oh no you don't!". He turned around just in time to see a Bufu whiz past him and hit Shadow Yukiko. Shadow Yukiko cried out, and an angry looking Chie and Tomoe jumped into the fray. Shadow Yukiko stared at Chie in shock, feather's glowing dully.

"**You! How could you!?,"** Shadow Yukiko cried out, only to scream as a small boulder hit it.

He saw a very smug Crystal quickly form more sharpened stalagmites. She launched the sharpened stones towards Shadow Yukiko, and at the same time Jiraiya used Garu, accelerating the stones to breakneck speeds. However, Shadow Yukiko ducked back into her cage, and the chandelier rose into the air, avoiding the stalactites completely.

"**None of you are my Prince...Come, my true Prince!**".

He shielded his eyes as a flash of light blinded him. The light died out, revealing a Shadow that looked like a regal prince. The prince took one look at them, before brandishing its sword. At the same time, it's hands glowed white, and he watched as Shadow Yukiko's wounds heal.

"**Hmmm, yes. My Charming Prince is my true Prince,"**Shadow Yukiko gloated.

The Charming Prince seemed to agree, before seeing Chie. It immediately rushed towards her, only for Tomoe to intercept. Both Tomoe and the Charming Prince glared at each other, and he flinched as flames filled his vision. If the ballroom had been on fire before, it was positively ablaze now. Everywhere he looked, all he saw was flames.

Valkyrie's horse reared, and he grunted, temperature rising to almost unbearable. At least there was no smoke. He heard wild cackling, and he looked around wildly, trying to find Shadow Yukiko. He heard a creaking sound, and looked up to see the chandelier hanging above him. As soon as he looked, the chandelier dropped , falling towards him. Valkyrie immediately was next to him, holding her shields as she braced herself. He also braced himself, and just before the chandelier hit, large earthen pillars erupted from the ground, stopping it.

"Hey!".

He turned to see a slightly singed Crystal run towards him.

"You okay?," she asked.

He nodded.

"You?"

"Just peachy," she grunted.

They looked up as the chandelier started to grind into the pillars.

"We'd better get out of here," he said.

"Run out and pelt her with stone and ice?," Crystal asked.

"Took the words right out of my mouth".

They glanced at each other, before running out from under the chandelier.

* * *

**Chie**

She gritted her teeth and kicked the Charming Prince, only for it to dodge and slash at her. Tomoe blocked the attack and forced the Prince back. She panted, feeling drained from the heat, and the Charming Prince took that time to heal itself. She glared at it as the background was filled with Shadow Yukiko's laughter.

"Don't get in my way!," she yelled at the Prince.

The Prince just glared back and taunted her. She growled and Tomoe lunged at the Prince. The Prince stood still, only to feint at the last second and cut Tomoe's back. Tomoe fell, and she gave a cry as her knees hit the ground. The Charming Prince followed with a flurry of cuts and slashes. The Prince lifted up it's blade, only to be blocked by Tomoe. Both of them glared at each other-And the Prince was sent flying as Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere, punching the Prince in the face. Both she and Tomoe stared at Jiraiya in surprise as Jiraiya struck a cool pose.

"Chie!".

She turned to see Yosuke run towards her.

"Hey, you okay?," he asked.

"Never...better...," she said, before falling back down to the ground.

"Chie! What's wrong?".

She just laid on the ground, looking at the flames dance around them. She was completely drained of strength. Jiraiya appeared next to Yosuke and pointed at the flames as Tomoe helped her up.

"Crap. Your weakness," Yosuke said grimly.

Jiraiya nodded, and the pair turned to face her.

"Hey, maybe you should take it easy," Yosuke suggested.

"I'm fine. It's just a bit of heat," she muttered, before taking off her jacket.

"Now then, we better help the others-," she began, only to see Yosuke staring at her. What was he staring at-?

Anger began to bubble up as she realized why, and she stomped on his foot.

"Ouch! What the hell did you do that for!?," Yosuke cried clutching his foot, as a bewildered Jiraiya looked on.

Tomoe let go of her and twirled her spear menacingly.

"You're really doing that now!," she yelled. Why that dirty pe-.

"I was only looking at that gash!," Yosuke said angrily.

She blinked and looked at herself. On her shoulder was a long gash, oozing with blood. As soon as she saw it, the pain registered and she winced, grabbing it.

"Oh...," she said sheepishly.

Yosuke sighed.

"Here, let me heal i-".

He jerked back suddenly as something flashed past him, and he caught the airborne sword before it hit her. She stared at the point in shock, and they both turned to see a battered Prince glaring at them, emerging from the flames. Yosuke grinned.

"Hah! What ya gonna do without you're sword?," Yosuke taunted.

The Prince just looked at them, before unsheathing a second sword and forming a green light. A Sukukaja.

"...Oh."

"You just had to jinx it!".

* * *

**Souji**

He watched as another attack hit the cage, sending it shaking but otherwise unharmed. Crystal growled next to him.

"Stop hiding and fight!".

"We have to get her out of that cage," he said.

"Easier said than done. Everything's on fire. Including her"

"...What if she wasn't on fire?".

Crystal blinked before looking at him. He continued to look at the cage, formulating a plan. Valkyrie's horse whinnied.

_A bold plan _she said.

'Can you do it?'.

_It is within my power_.

He looked at Crystal.

"If she wasn't on fire, could you take her out?".

"I'll try at the very least...Let me get ready," she said, kneeling down.

He could feel the stone buckle underneath him as he ran towards Shadow Yukiko.

"Hey! Your Highness!," he called out.

Shadow Yukiko peeked out of her cage to look at him curiously.

"Come and get me! If you can get off your fatass that is!".

Shadow Yukiko blinked in shock, before glowering, flames dancing. He stood in front of the cage and continued to hurl insults.

"What's wrong? Too busy sitting on your cushy throne to deal with a 'commoner'?".

Shadow Yukiko started to glow crimson, and the flames around her flowed into her. The fires around the room dimmed and traveled into the Shadow, and out of the corner of his eyes he could see Chie and Yosuke fight the Prince.

"Come on! Get me you worthless-".

Part of him wished he had better insults. However, they did the job.

Shadow Yukiko was now glowing bright white.

"**You... You mongrel! How dare you talk to me like that!,"** she shrieked.

He just stood in front of her, watching as heat distorted the air around Shadow Yukiko. He really hoped she wouldn't just crush him with the chandelier. Shadow Yukiko stormed out the cage, outstretching her wings.

Bingo.

"**Burn to Ashes!"**.

"Partner, what the-!"

"Senri!".

Valkyrie changed to Senri as he leapt forward and rolled under the cage. The idea had been to avoid the flames. The idea was quickly dashed when the entire radius around the cage turned into a miniature sun. He flinched as all he saw where flames...and just sat there as they did nothing but tickle him. In fact, he was absorbing them, and the burns, scratches, and exhaustion of the day disappeared. He looked to see Senri leaning in front of him, purring and looking at him impishly. Shadow Yukiko's impression of a miniature sun continued for about five minutes, before going out. He blinked away spots and looked around at the now dark room.

"...Partner?"

"Souji?".

Shadow Yukiko started to cackle wildly, and he quietly changed Senri to Valkyrie.

"**Yes! A commoner bites the dust! And now for the rest of you!". **

He felt the flames start up again, and tensed up.

**"Burn to-!"**

"Bufu!," he yelled, jumping from under the cage.

Valkyrie galloped out and hit Shadow Yukiko right in the face with a barrage of Bufu, dousing the flames immediately. Shadow Yukiko cried out, feathers dulling, and she looked at him in shock.

**"But how-How are you alive!?"**.

Valkyrie slashed her with her swords, and he looked wildly around for Crystal. For a second, he was afraid she had burnt in the attack. Then he felt the stone buckle beneath his feet, and he jumped to the side as a boulder crashed into Shadow Yukiko. Or at least, that's what it looked like at first. The boulder then grew arms and grabbed Shadow Yukiko with massive earthen claws, and gave a very feminine yell as it pulled Shadow Yukiko off the cage and onto the ground. The boulder started to wail on Shadow Yukiko, until she buffeted it with her wings and set herself on fire. The boulder jumped back, and the rocks fell apart to reveal a very dusty Crystal. She still had a stone claw over her right arm. He ran up to her, and she glanced at him.

"Nice job," he said.

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Nice job? You were the one with the brilliant plan".

Then she punched him and he rubbed his shoulder.

"What was that for?"

"For being stupid too."

They were interrupted by Shadow Yukiko screaming harshly. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he suddenly was pushed by Crystal.

"Get back-!".

Shadow Yukiko, still ablaze, launched herself towards them and sank her fangs into Crystal.

* * *

**Yosuke**

"Crystal!," he screamed.

Besides him, Chie was looking on in shock. Shadow Yukiko, Crystal still in her jaws, whipped her neck around and threw the girl. Crystal fell with a sickening smack, and lay unmoving. Shadow Yukiko started to cackle hysterically, and the Charming Prince joined silently. Shadow Yukiko cawed and flew into the air towards Crystal.

Only for Izanagi to grab her by the neck and pull her to the ground. Souji ran and stood in front of Crystal, wielding the Imitation Katana menacingly, looking angrier than he had ever seen him.

"Is he about t-?," Chie started.

Souji then charged towards the still fiery Shadow Yukiko and slashed her across the face. At the same time Izanagi let go of her and cleaved her wings.

"He totally is," he groaned.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the Charming Prince run towards Shadow Yukiko, and he narrowed his eyes.

"No so fast!".

He ran towards it and grabbed it by the cape, before bashing it with the wrenches. The Prince stumbled around, and he slashed it's neck with the short sword. The Prince fell as black ichor poured out, before lunging at him with the sword. He dodged and grabbed it by the cape again. At the same time, Izanagi unleashed a huge Mazio, sending a struggling Shadow Yukiko to the ground, and he and the Prince spasmed as they were struck by a bolt of lightning. He was thrown back and landed on the ground with a wheeze, and the Prince fell on its face, twitching.

"Yosuke, give me a boost!," Chie called out, running towards them.

He blinked, before nodding as Jiraiya used Sukukaja. Chie glowed green as her speed doubled, and she kicked the Charming prince straight in the air.

"Now Tomoe, rampage time!".

Tomoe appeared next to the Prince in midair and struck it with a barrage of blows, before sending it to the ground. The Prince laid there in a heap for a while, and Chie helped him up.

"**My Prince, help me!," **Shadow Yukiko shrieked, and they turned to see both Souji and Izanagi glowing red with a Tarukaja, beating Shadow Yukiko into the ground.

The Prince stood up shakily, before looking at the scene.

And turning tail and running.

"Hey! Come back here!," Chie yelled.

"Focus Chie! We need to help Souji and Crystal! Gah, where's Florence when you need him?".

Chie made a face before grabbing his arm and running towards the fight, almost dragging him.

He quickly used Sukukaja on himself and outran Chie, sliding towards Crystal. His face grew pale on seeing her. She had two puncture marks in her side, covered in burns. Her eyes were closed, and she was groaning loudly. But at least it was better than silence. Chie stopped next to him and gave a gasp.

"Oh crap, oh crap! W-What do we do?"

"Calm down and let me help!," he snapped, before mustering up his strength.

Jiraiya kneeled down next to the girl and started using Dia. He concentrated, only to whirl around on hearing a hysterical caw. He saw Shadow Yukiko, still ablaze, flying towards them, talons outstretched. Chie jumped in his way and Tomoe used a Bufu, making the fires die out, but not stopping Shadow Yukiko. She gave a harsh caw, only for a flash of silver to come between them, slashing at the talons.

Shadow Yukiko gave a cry of pain, and Souji stood in front of them panting, katana broken. Shadow Yukiko glared at them and outstretched her wings-only for Izanagi to tackle her. There was a sharp crack, and Shadow Yukiko fell to the ground with a bent wing. He looked at Souji in surprise as Jiraiya stopped using Dia, and stood up.

"Partner," he started, looking at Souji's burnt right hand, still holding the hilt, "You okay?".

Souji nodded.

"Never better," Souji said calmly.

He looked at Souji's eyes for a moment, feeling a shiver up his spine, before standing next to him, twirling his sword.

"I see you got a new weapon?," Souji asked.

He nodded.

"What can I say, it was a flying bargain".

Souji quirked his lips, and he smiled in return.

"Now's not the time for jokes, we've gotta finish this!," Chie snapped.

He glanced back at Crystal, who stopped bleeding, before snapping back to Shadow Yukiko, who was trying to get off the ground. Izanagi, Jiraiya, and Tomoe appeared behind them.

"We have to hit her with everything we got," Souji said.

He nodded.

"So what, like an all out attack?".

Souji tilted his head.

"Yes. I like the sound of that".

Chie grinned.

"Alright, dog pile time!".

Souji nodded, and smiled calmly.

"Yes. Time for an All-Out-Attack!".

They all rushed towards Shadow Yukiko, wailing on her with everything they had, before jumping away. Shadow Yukiko laid on the ground, limp.

"Did we-".

They all jumped back as Shadow Yukiko gave a scream full of loathing, glaring at them as she glowed orange.

"**Die! Commoners cannot defeat nobles! Die worthless filth! Burn to Ashes!"**.

She sent a flood of fire towards them, and he flinched back, completely spent...Only for fire to meet stone. At the same time, a crumbling pillar of earth rose and fell on Shadow Yukiko's wing, pinning her with a scream. He turned around to see Crystal glaring weakly at her, still on the ground, an arm outstretched.

"Take that bird...," she croaked out.

Izanagi quickly rushed towards Shadow Yukiko, blade crackling with electricity. Before Shadow Yukiko could scream, Izanagi imbedded his naginata into her. There was an explosion of red aura, electricity, and fire, and he blocked his eyes. When everything cleared, dull red feathers fell around them as the air smelled of ozone. Shadow Yukiko stood in the middle of the room, looking up despondently. He blinked in surprise.

She almost looked...melancholic.

Souji breathed deeply as Chie fell down on her bottom in relief, before running to Crystal. He followed, and watched worriedly as Souji helped Crystal up, supporting her.

"This is a little awkward," Souji muttered, bending to match Crystal's height.

"Sorry for being short," she said snappishly, clutching her side with a wince.

"Let me guess. I missed it all".

He turned to see Florence looking at all of them, supporting Yukiko.

"Yeah, thanks for that. We could have really used your help!," he snapped, only for Chie to push him out of the way.

"Are you two okay?," she asked worriedly.

Florence nodded.

"Yes. Miss Yukiko has awoken. And I have addressed myself.

He opened his mouth to ask what he meant, only to notice the fact that Florence wasn't wearing his suit, only his white shirt, and his arm was covered in bandages and hung limply. He opened his mouth in an 'oh' and looked at Florence, whose eyes were on him.

"Uh, sorry about snapping at you," he said sheepishly.

Florence stared at him, before sighing.

"If anyone should apologize, it is me. I should have been able to offer assistance," Florence said bitterly.

"No man, it's okay. After all, we defeated her, right?".

Barely of course. Yukiko made a sound, and shrugged off Florence, making her way shakily towards Chie. She fell halfway, only to be caught by Chie.

"Yukiko!"

"I-I'm fine," Yukiko said, before leaning on Chie in exhaustion.

"I knew you would save me...," Yukiko whispered, and suddenly he felt hell of a lot awkward.

Chie stared at Yukiko for a moment, before sighing.

"You're wrong Yukiko."

"Hmm? W-What do you mea-?"

"Yukiko, I need to tell you something. you think I'm strong...But you're wrong."

Yukiko looked at Chie in surprise and opened her mouth.

"Just listen! I'm not strong at all. I was only able to do those things because you were there to help me. But when you needed my help...I was so self-centered that I never understood what you were going through. I'm your friend, and I still...I'm so sorry...," Chie said, sniffling.

"Chie..."

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't. That jealousy was like a wall...But I shouldn't have allowed it to happen! I wanted you to need me, but I'm the one that needs you! I can't do anything right on my own! I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and Souji and the others...".

He wanted to open his mouth to say something, like she didn't cause that much trouble, only for Souji to shoulder bump him. He looked at his Partner, who just motioned for him to stay quite. Crystal was still leaning on him, watching the scene in silence.

"I...I love you Yukiko. You're my best friend, and...I'm just glad your okay," Chie's voice broke and she buried her face in Yukiko's shoulder. Yukiko stood still for a second, before embracing Chie.

"No comment?," Souji asked quietly.

He shook his head.

"Only a complete jackass would make fun of this," he said solemnly.

Souji smiled, and Crystal gave a small snort.

"Sentimental clart...," she muttered, but she had a smile on her face.

Yukiko and Chie stopped embracing, though they still held on to each other, and Yukiko saw the gash across Chie's shoulder. She looked back at her Shadow, and he saw a look of unbridled anger sweep across the normally calm girl's face.

"You...," Yukiko growled, walking towards her Shadow.

"Yukiko, wait...," Chie said worriedly.

"If I may intervene?," Florence suddenly said.

They looked at him as he pointed to Shadow Yukiko. They turned to see Shadow Yukiko grabbing a feather from the air, only for it to crumble into dust. She stared at the dust for a moment, before cupping her face in her hands and trembling. Yukiko looked at her Shadow for a while, before her eyes softened and she stepped towards her.

"I never saw the real Chie either," Yukiko started, causing Shadow Yukiko to look at her, "I was too busy trying to find an easy way out. 'I want to run away', 'I want someone to save me'...You're right, those feeling are a part of me too. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, they were true. Everything. You're me...And I'm you".

Shadow Yukiko blinked in shock, before smiling, a genuine smile. The feathers in the air suddenly glowed pink, and wrapped around Shadow Yukiko. When the feathers cleared, a graceful feminine figure garbed in a pink and white dress, with a wreath of pink feathers and flowers connecting both her arms spun around, scattering now bright pink feathers across the air.

"Konohana Sakuya," Yukiko whispered, smiling, before stumbling forward.

"Yukiko!".

Yukiko's Persona caught Yukiko at the last minute, before handing her over to Chie and disappearing.

"Hey, are you okay?," he asked.

Yukiko nodded.

"I'm just...a bit tired," Yukiko said, before looking at all of them.

"You all came to rescue me?".

Souji nodded.

"Of course".

Yukiko smiled and bowed her head.

"Thank you"

"We're just glad your okay," Chie said.

He nodded.

"Same here".

"So, who threw you in here?".

He turned to see Teddie walk up to them.

He frowned.

"Ted, now's really not the time to ask that".

Yukiko looked at Teddie in surprise, tilting her head.

"Who are you? Or, rather, what are you?".

"I'm Teddie. So who threw you in here?"

"I...I can't remember. I think someone was calling my name...but...," Yukiko frowned in concentration.

"Don't try to push yourself. Your already tired as it is," Florence said.

"Hmm...No new clues then," Teddie said sadly.

"Not necessarily," Souji said.

"After all, this confirms that someone is definitely throwing people in here, and that it wasn't an accident."

He blinked in surprise.

"Hey, I didn't think of that. You're right."

Crystal tilted her head from Souji's side.

"Yeah. No idea who it is though."

"So that means it wasn't you guys," Teddie said to himself.

Souji raised an eyebrow.

"You still suspected us?"

"What?! N-No, not at all."

Crystal growled, and he sighed.

"Seriously? You're one lying sack of honey."

Florence coughed.

"I don't want to be rude...but Shadow's are still roaming the castle."

They froze on hearing that.

"Crap, we forgot about that. How do we get out now? I don't know about you guys, but I'm running on fumes here."

Chie shook her head, and he didn't need to say anything about Crystal and Florence.

Souji pursed his lips, before turning to Crystal.

"I need you to take out a Goho-M from my jacket pocket?"

"A what?"

"The small box thing."

"This pocket?"

"The other one."

Crystal reached inside and took out a small box. And inside the box was a small snow globe like object.

"What does it do?"

"It'll take us back. Just open it-".

Crystal threw the globe to the ground, where it shattered, the 'snow' in the globe surrounding them.

"-gently...," Souji sighed.

There was a flash of light, and they were at the TV studio.

"Hey, it worked," he said, before turning to Souji.

"How many of those do you have?"

"Not much."

"Hmm...Oh well. We better get out of here. We all need to rest".

"Y-You're leaving me here?".

They turned to look at Teddie, who was looking at them uncertainly.

"'Leaving you'? You live here".

Teddie frowned.

"I know, but...".

Teddie remained silent, and Yukiko suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, don't be sad. I promise to visit again."

They all looked at Yukiko in surprise, most of all Teddie.

"Huh? Y-You will?"

"Of course. So be a good boy and wait here until then."

Teddie gave a small growl of pleasure.

"How bout you and I go somewhere a bit less crowded?," Teddie suggested, only to back away fearfully on seeing Chie.

"Gah, quit it. Stop giving us the creeps," he complained.

Florence coughed again.

"We have a problem. None of us are in any state to leave the TV world without attracting attention. Both Yosuke and Chie have numerous small injuries and cuts, I have sustained massive burns, and my sister is heavily injured."

"I'm fine!"

"Can you walk on your own?"

"..." "My point".

He looked at himself and winced.

"You're right. And I don't have the strength to muster a Dia."

"I think I can fix that."

They turned to see Souji holding a card above him.

"Angel. Media."

* * *

**Florence**

They sat at a table in the Junes food court. Not their usual one, but a rectangular one with an umbrella. Around them, people busied about, trying to get out of the rain. And not at all paying attention to the six teenagers at the table. Which was a good break from the rest of the day's events. He opened and closed his fist, looking at his arm. New, sensitive pink skin met his vision. The rest of everyone was similarly healed. All except Crystal. No matter how much Souji used Media, her puncture wounds had not completely healed, hence why Crystal was still being supported by Souji. Or she was supporting Souji. After using Media so many times, he had almost collapsed, before recovering. It was hard to tell whether he was asleep or not at the moment.

"Yukiko, you're sure you're not hurt anywhere?," Chie asked.

Yukiko shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. Just...tired."

"Yukiko-san, I know you've been through a lot, but do you remember anything else? Like who threw you in?".

Yukiko made a face, before shaking her head.

"Hmm...N-No, I don't remember anything else. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry," Souji said,

"You're okay, and that's what matters. And you've given us plenty. We should probably call it a day for now."

Yosuke nodded.

"Yeah. We've all had a hell of a day. Some more than others. Chie, can you escort her to her house?"

"I was already planning to do that. Come on Yukiko."

He watched as the two girls left, before turning to Yosuke.

"We'll be on our ways too."

"Uh...Are you sure you should do that? You guys are welcome to crash at my place, you know."

"We don't want to cause you any problems."

"Relax, my parents already know Souji."

"Yosuke, it's fine."

They turned to look at Souji.

"Are you sure Partner? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine. Just need some rest," Souji said with a yawn.

"If you say so. Anyway, see you tomorrow," Yosuke said, before leaving.

He turned to look at both his sister and Souji.

"Are you sure you two can walk?"

His sister glared at him.

"We're fine...Worry about yourself...Right Souji?".

All she got in reply was soft breathing as Souji finally conked out.

"Thanks...for the support...jerk...".

With that, his sister fell onto the table, sleeping. He cupped his head in his hands, sighing.

"Great...Thanks for that".

* * *

**Souji**

_He woke up with a groan, clutching his head. Everything was...fuzzy. No, that wasn't the right word. Everything was foggy.. There was a thin fog everywhere. He looked around the small room he was in. It was...a house. A small house. He looked around to see Florence __sleeping in a chair. He heard the rustling of cloth, and turned to see Crystal __laying down on the sofa. And a figure in a brown dress hovering over her. The figure adjusted the bandages on her side, before forming white sparks that flowed into her. He stared at it for a while, and the figure suddenly turned around. His vision became more fuzzy, and all he could make out was a feminine face as the figure leaned towards him. "Relax...Just sleep," she said kindly. Before he could do anything, she covered his eyes, and he blacked out._

* * *

He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.

"I see you're awake."

He sat up to see Florence looking at him from a chair.

"Where-?"

"This is our house."

He turned to see Crystal laying on a sofa. She grunted, before getting up, clutching her side.

"Hmm...Wow, you're healing magic's pretty good Souji," she said with a grin, standing up and stretching. He just looked at her, before looking out the door pane.

"It's night already?".

Florence nodded.

"Yes. You two were out for quite a while. More than I was."

He was about to open his mouth, only for his phone to ring. He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Where have you been?".

He flinched a bit at Dojima's tone. He thought for a while, before answering.

"I'm at a friend's house."

"And why are you at a friend's house?"

"We had a project to complete."

For a minute it was silent, and he hoped Dojima would buy it. Thankfully, it seemed Mr. Morooka's insistence on delivering the sports jersey in the middle of the night convinced him.

"School projects this early? Still, that doesn't explain why you're so late."

"It was a tough project."

"Did you mention the part where you fell?".

He looked over his shoulder to see Crystal.

"...Is that a girl?"

"Yeah. She's my classmate"

"...".

He really didn't like that suspicious silence.

"You fell?"

"Yeah he did. Down the stairs."

"What?".

He blinked in surprise at the concern in Dojima's voice.

"I'm fine. It was only a small tumble at the end of the day."

"Then why didn't you come back home?"

"Their house was closer."

"...Hmm, very well. Will you be staying the night?"

"I...I think so. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, both of you."

"Both of us?"

"Goodnight to Nanako too."

"...See you tomorrow."

The phone call ended, and he flipped the phone close.

"So, you're staying the night?," Crystal asked.

He nodded.

"It would appear".

She made a face.

"I guess that's fine. I have to prepare dinner for three though now."

She frowned at the word dinner.

"Do you need any help?" "Uhh...Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

They ate their dinner in silence. He and Florence just because, Crystal because she was too busy enjoying it.

"You need to teach me how to cook. I demand it."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"A demand of your Leader?," he asked jokingly.

She scratched the back of her head.

"Uh, well, not a dema-Never mind. Yeah, it is a demand."

He smiled.

"Usually it's the other way."

"What are you going to do? Order me to cook for myself?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea."

Crystal immediately grabbed him by his jacket.

"Don't you dare," she said seriously.

Florence cleared his throat, and they both looked at him.

"Do you have a cough today?," he asked.

Florence didn't respond, and instead looked at them calculatingly.

"What's wrong brother?"

"You said we would tell him about us after we saved Yukiko."

Crystal stiffened.

"I said I'd tell everyone."

"Regardless, we have the chance to tell him right now. I feel like we should. After all, as Leader, he should know, and he may be able to help us tell the others."

Crystal remained silent, before sighing.

"Fine."

He watched the exchange silently, curiosity peaked. Was he finally going to find out who they were? Florence steepled his fingers and looked at him, suddenly reminding him of Igor.

"Tell me...what do you know about other worlds?"

* * *

'**...'**

**"..."**

**'...'**

**"...I'm sorry. I'm a really horrid dancer."**

**'Relax. You'er not that bad. Just because you stepped on my foot a grand total of ten times, doesn't mean you're a bad dancer'**

**(I think it does)**

**Oh, Sir? What're you doing here?**

**(This is the Authors note, is it not?)**

**'So, are you gonna pretend that you were gone for about a month?'**

**(Quite. Moving on to the Boss...Those of you in the audience who are reminded by the Dark Gaia Phoenix definitely noticed the similarities .)**

**'The what?'**

**(...Nothing. Never mind. For now, let's stop the chapter.)**


	12. Chapter 12: Explanations and the Aeon

**'The chapter everyone's been waiting for. Finally, you get an explanation!'**

**More like a piece of a bigger picture, but sure**

**'Bah, they're still getting an explanation'**

_Persona doesn't belong to the author. It belongs to it's creators at Atlus. The author only owns the original characters and ideas._

* * *

**Chapter 12: Explanations, Personas, and the Aeon**

**Souji**

"Other worlds? You mean like other planets?"

"I mean like parallel worlds."

He looked at Florence, who was looking at him with dead serious eyes, before looking at Crystal, who was looking at the floor, kneading her hands nervously. The atmosphere seemed incredibly heavy, and he took his time to consider Florence's answer.

"Parallel Universes?"

Florence nodded.

"Yes. I won't try to make it simple, what you have just said pretty much gives you an idea of what you're dealing with."

"You mean you come from a parallel universe?"

Florence nodded, and he thought for a while, before nodding.

"Go on."

Florence tilted his head, and Crystal looked at him in surprise.

"You seem to be taking this very well," Florence said.

Crystal on the other hand...

"How can you be so calm?! We've just literally told you that there's more than one universe out there, and we've all but told you we're not human-!"

Crystal immediately closed her mouth, before sighing.

"Like I said, how are you taking this so calmly?"

He thought for a moment, before speaking.

"I came to Inaba expecting it to be just like every other year. What I got was a murder mystery regarding a world inside the TV, filled with monsters, while the only people who can stop these unexplained murders are otherwise normal people who wield the 'power of the heart'. Next to that, the sci-fi staple of parallel universes and other worlds doesn't seem so far-fetched."

Florence and Crystal just stared at him.

"Plus, I'm pretty sure Teddie falls under absolutely not human," he added as an afterthought.

Florence continued to look at him, and he saw Crystal's mouth quirk upwards.

"Well, when you say it like that," she began.

"So you believe us?" Florence pressed on.

He nodded.

"It's still pretty out there. I'm just saying its well within my scope of belief."

Florence continued to stare at him, before turning to his sister.

"I told you it wouldn't be that difficult."

"Oh, shut up. How should I have known? You never know what people think when you tell them something!"

"What I'm slightly confused about," he interrupted, "is why and how you two are here."

"How's easy. My brother could probably give a whole complicated speech about it, but all you need to know is this-It is scarily easy to travel through worlds if you know what you're doing," Crystal said.

He pursed his lips and said nothing.

"As for how...That is somewhat more complicated," Florence said.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that we don't know. Last we remembered, we were back at home. Then, we woke up here."

"Well, first we were in this weird blue room," Crystal interjected.

He narrowed his eyes at 'weird blue room'.

"Weird Blue Room?" he repeated.

Crystal nodded.

"Yeah. It was a limousine of some sort. I think it was called the-"

"-Velvet Room." he finished.

Crystal opened her mouth in surprise.

"Yeah, that was it. How did you know?" she asked.

"The Velvet Room...Is a place closely linked to Personas. It is there where I can create and summon new Personas."

"So that's where you get new Personas?"

"That's where I can strengthen Persona's."

"How?"

"With the help of the rooms denizens. Igor-"

"You mean long nose?"

"-, Margaret-"

"The serious woman."

"-And Marie."

Crystal frowned.

"I only remember two people."

"The point here it that we seemingly entered this world through this Velvet Room."

He remembered Igor's words.

'This room is tied to the fate of its guest'

_Then that means that these two are somehow important to your journey_ Angel said.

"You seem very calm for waking up in a completely different world."

Crystal just put her hands behind her back.

"That's because we're used to it. This sort of stuff happens to our family all the time."

He looked at her, wondering how many times this sort of thing happened to make them take it in stride so much.

"Your family?"

Florence nodded.

"As my sister has mentioned, we have more siblings than each other."

Crystal nodded, closing her eyes.

"I have seven brothers including Florence, and six sisters, and two nieces," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. That was an impressively large family. And he didn't miss how she didn't mention parents of any kind.

"So, you're family regularly travels across worlds?"

"Not on purpose. But it still happens."

"But wouldn't they be worried about you?"

"No," Crystal said, waving her hand flippantly," Isaac always knows where we are. Besides, the time differential..." she shook her head, "The point is, this kind of stuff happens so many times, we've come to expect it. It is the first time it's happened to us though," she said with a frown, before shaking her head.

"Either way, we woke up there, and then here, and now we're here."

He nodded, making a note to ask Igor about this later.

"So you two aren't human?" he repeated curiously.

Crystal nodded, before taking a rock out of her pouch and levitating it.

"Not many humans have powers like us...At least, that's what you'd think. We've been proven wrong many times before."

He nodded, before noticing the time.

"It's almost midnight," he noted. Florence and Crystal took a look at the clock as well, and the clock struck midnight. "It is time we rest," Florence said, standing up.

Crystal sighed.

"Do we have to? I mean, we were unconscious for most of the day. Doesn't that count as sleep?"

Florence, funnily enough, disagreed, and Crystal grudgingly went to sleep. And he was given the second room for the night. No matter how much he argued against it, Florence wouldn't budge.

"Where will you sleep?" he sighed, accepting the fact that Florence was going to give his room to him no matter what he said.

Florence just smiled and gestured to the couch.

"I'll be fine Souji. You're our guest."

"...Fine. Good night."

"Good Night."

He made his way to the small bedroom, only to turn his head at the last moment. He saw Florence looking at the moon with an almost wistful expression on his face. He shook his head and went into the room for a night of sleep.

* * *

_"Hey...Hey...HEY!" He sat up with a flinch on hearing that familiar piercing female yell. He looked to see Pixie hovering in front of his face, pouting. _

_"Jeez! How can you be a deep sleeper when you're already asleep?" _

_"Pixie? What do you mean by 'already asleep'?" he asked. _

_Pixie just flew around lazily. _

_"You're asleep. Can't you tell?" _

_"Not really-" _

_He closed his mouth on looking at the sky. It was a swirling void of clouds, like a hurricane, except...peaceful. _

_"It's been stormy ever since Yomotsu-Shikome appeared," Pixie said with a scowl. _

_"Pixie...Where am I?" _

_Then he looked at himself. _

_"And more importantly, what am I wearing?" _

_He stood up and tried to balance on the bladed tengu geta he was now wearing. _

_"You're Izanagi, can't you tell? Thou art I, I am Thou," Pixie said. _

_He took a step, surprised at how deceptively easy it was to move on the bladed stilts, before turning to Pixie. _

_"Is there anywhere I can see my reflection?" _

_"Yeah! Follow me!" _

_Pixie raced away, before looking over her shoulder and motioning to him impatiently. He nodded, and ran after her, feet almost gliding over the ground. He followed Pixie deeper into a small thickly wooded area. He could feel the weight of armor clink against his body, and was curious to exactly what Pixie meant by he was 'Izanagi'. Pixie stopped over a small crystalline pond, and he skidded to a stop and looked at his reflection. _

_What meet him was Izanagi. The lower half of his face was covered by a facemask, and he was wearing Izanagi's trademark long coat, plates of armor interwoven with red and black fabric. His hand went to his hip, and he unsheathed a razor sharp katana. _

_"Pixie...Where am I?" _

_"You're in Your Sea of Souls." _

_He turned around and shielded his eyes as Angel descended from the sky._

_ "My Sea of Souls?" _

_Pixie nodded, before landing on his shoulder. _

_"Yeah. This is the place created by your soul. Where your Personas reside. The stronger your heart becomes, the way it changes, is all reflected by this place," _

_Pixie said. He looked at her for a moment. _

_"You know a lot." _

_Pixie blushed and looked away, whistling nonchalantly._

_ "Well, Knowledge is power...And it's the only power I can obtain..." Pixie said sadly. _

_He stared at her for another moment, before poking her. _

_"Hey!" Pixie said indignantly. _

_"Don't be so hard on yourself. After all, Thou art I..." _

_"__And I art Thou," Pixie said with a soft smile, before landing on his shoulder again. _

_Angel smiled at the interaction, before cupping his face. "Uh...?" _

_"I just want to make sure you're okay after the events of the day," Angel said with concern, before letting go of him. _

_"Is it common for Wild Cards to dream in their Sea of Souls?" he asked, feeling that the answer was yes. _

_Pixie nodded. _

_"Yeah. It's common for all Persona users, actually."_

_ He nodded, humming to himself, before sitting down on a rock._

_ "So...What should I do-?" _

_The breath was knocked out of him as something tackled him to the ground. He blinked tears out of his eyes, and looked into orbs full of feline mischief._

_ "Ohhh...I thought I smelt you," Senri said, purring him while she pinned him to the ground. _

_"Now, how about we have so-" _

_"Bad kitty!" Pixie zapped Senri with a Zio, and Senri hissed and swatted Pixie away, fur standing on end. _

_"Oh, buzz off you stupid bug!" Senri hissed. _

_Pixie stuck her tongue out and zapped Senri again. _

_"Make me! And I'm not a bug!" Senri gave a cat like yowl before bounding after Pixie, claws on fire. _

_"They're at it again," Angel said with a sigh. _

_"Does this happen often?" he asked, standing up and looking at Senri warily, one hand on the katana. _

_"Yes. The only reason you don't notice is because they are merely small scuffles in the landscape of your soul." _

_"Hmm...Where's Valkyrie?" _

_"She's currently guarding Yomotsu-Shikome." _

_Upon hearing the name, he felt a shiver travel up his spine, and did his best to ignore it. Angel suddenly looked up at the sky, pursing her lips. _

_"Ah. It appears it is already time for you to go."_

_ "Really?" _

_"Time is subjective here. It can flow as fast as a river, or a slow as a snail." _

_He watched as the cloud started to still, and felt something similar to drowsiness. His vision started to turn white, and the last thing he heard before whiting out was..._

_"Aw...I haven't had my fun yet." _

_"Shut up!"_

* * *

He woke up, this time in a bed. He sat up, dangling his feet over the edge, reminiscing about the dream. Unlike most dreams, it was crystal clear in his mind. He shook his head, before standing up and heading to the living room. He stopped on seeing the door panes open, and walked outside to see Crystal lying down on the grass.

The sun had barely risen, and the grass was still wet with dew. Not that he minded. He could use a shower. He laid down on the grass next to her, and she opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise.

"Hmm? Oh, good morning. I guess I'm not the only one to wake early."

"Good morning."

A moment of silence passed, and they both stared at the sky. Stars still twinkled up above, stars you would never see in the city.

"I've always wondered what the moon felt like," Crystal mused.

He looked at her questioningly.

"It's just that, back home we don't have a moon. And every single time we ended up on Earth, I've always stared up at its moon, wondering how it's 'earth' felt like."

She chuckled.

"I guess it's a bit of a stupid dream, but hey. The Earth is my passion."

He looked back at the moon, seeing it in a new light.

"It doesn't sound that stupid of a dream," he said.

Crystal glanced at him questioningly.

"No?"

"Not at all. In fact, you've kinda made me curious."

Crystal just hummed, before looking back at the sky.

"What's your world like?" he found himself asking after a moment.

Crystal pursed her lips.

"Well, the sky's different first of all. Other than that...It's kinda like Earth. It has a star, oceans, forests, grass. It even had civilizations."

"Had?"Crystal closed her eyes.

"We're one of the only things close to 'civilization' left."

He remained silent, imagining the world the girl next to him came from.

"What about your family? When you said you didn't have any parents-"

"We've never had any parents. Ever. The closest thing is our older sisters, and their friends."

He nodded, wondering what it was like, not having any parents. It sounded rough...

"Hey," Crystal said, sitting up and looking at him.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For not freaking out yesterday. And for not being mad about secrets."

"Why would I freak out? Or be mad?"

Crystal sighed.

"Because, things like this don't happen normally. Most people would freak out. And most people would be mad if their friends were keeping secrets."

"I'm still not sure what there is to freak out about."

Crystal gave a frustrated groan.

"Damn it, stop being so calm-"

She stopped on seeing his smile, before punching him.

"Ouch."

"You deserve it," she said, though she also had a smile.

He sat up, looking at her.

"Look. If I was the kinda guy to freak out, wouldn't I have done it as soon as I put my hand in the TV? Besides," he looked at the sky, "People are allowed to keep secrets. Everyone has them. What matters is that you're trusting everyone on the team with yours."

Crystal nodded slowly, before gulping.

"Do you think they'll freak out?"

"Yosuke? Most certainly. At least, at first. But I think he's already suspecting it. As for Chie...Maybe. She shouldn't be too bothered for long though. And Yukiko-san...I'm not sure, but she seemed nice enough."

Crystal hummed in agreement.

"...Thanks."

"Again?"

"For helping. With everything."

He just stood up and offered a hand.

"What are friends for?"

She smiled and took his hand, pulling herself up.

_Rank up!_ Pixie yelled in his head, almost making him flinch.

_You've strengthened your bond with the Queen of Pentacles._ Pixie informed.

He felt something stir inside of him as Izanagi agreed. He was knocked out of his thoughts by Crystal pushing him. He blinked and looked at her, seeing the grin gracing her face.

"Well, since we're awake anyway..." she fell into a battle stance," How about some fisticuffs? We still haven't found the murderer, and we have to be stronger than we were before to fight of anything in our way!"

He looked at her for a moment, before shaking his head and bringing his hands up.

"Bring it."

* * *

"Hey, Partner! Wait up!"

He turned around to see Yosuke running towards him.

"Hey, morning Sou-What the hell happened to your face?"

He brought a hand up to his cheek, which was still bruised from not blocking one of Crystal's punches. On the plus side, he definitely learnt a thing or two about fisticuffs.

"I fell."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow.

"You fell?"

"Down some stairs," Crystal supplied helpfully. He elbowed her in the ribs, not that it did anything. Yosuke just looked at him, before looking at Florence.

"Is there some vital contextual info I'm missing here?"

Florence just rolled his eyes at him and Crystal.

"Okay...Either way, I was thinking about the culprit."

"What about him?"

"Why is he pushing people into the TV in the first place? It seems like a lot of trouble just to kill someone."

He blinked.

"What do you mean? All you have to do is push them in."

"Yeah, but they'd be struggling a whole lot. Besides, how did they find about the TV world in the first place?"

Florence frowned.

"That's...A remarkably good question".

Crystal scrunched up her face.

"Well...We found the TV world because Souji found the TV world..."

"And Partner found the TV world because he already had a Persona..."

"Which means the murderer has a Persona," he finished grimly.

The sudden realization that the person they were chasing had a power similar to theirs made their goal a lot harder.

"Maybe they don't have a Persona? After all, Souji only got a Persona after entering the TV."

"You mean they can enter the TV, but have no Persona?" Yosuke shook his head, "I don't know. It just doesn't seem likely."

"No matter how much we guess right now, it's still just guessing. We have to wait and see if Yukiko-san remembers anything," he said.

Crystal and Florence nodded their heads.

"Yeah. Not much use in sweating about it right now," Yosuke said.

* * *

"So, what are you guys going to do after school?" Yosuke asked.

School had just ended.

"I'm gonna go check on Yukiko. She seemed pretty exhausted," Chie said.

Crystal cracked her knuckles.

"Florence and I are going to toughen up. We can't be a liability like with Shadow Yukiko."

"C'mon. Give yourself some credit. You got bit by a huge fire bird monster. Anyone would be out after that."

Yosuke's words fell on deaf ears.

"What about you Partner?"

"I think...I'm going to pay a visit to someone before heading home," he said.

"Huh"

"What about you Yosuke?"

"Just the usual. Part time at Junes. Give Yukiko-san our wishes."

"Will do."

They left their separate ways, and he followed Yosuke.

"I thought you said you were meeting with someone?"

"I need to see Teddie first and grab some stuff from the TV world."

Yosuke just blinked.

"Oh. For a second there, I thought you wanted a part time job or something," Yosuke said with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't mind that."

Yosuke looked at him in surprise.

"Really? If you want, I can recommend you to my dad."

"I'd like that."

They continued towards Junes, exchanging small talk, until moving their separate ways.

"See you later," he said, walking towards the electronic department.

"Yeah, see you," Yosuke said, putting on the Junes apron.

He made his way to the electronic department, momentarily distracted by the wide selection of groceries. Unfortunately, there would be no grocery shopping today. He needed all the money he could get. He made his way to the TV entrance, looked around to make sure nobody was there, before kneeling down and whispering.

"Teddie? Are you there?"

"Sensei? Sensei, is that you!?"

He nodded, before remembering Teddie couldn't see him.

"Yes. It's me."

"Sensei, did you come all this way just to visit this lonely bear? I'm so 'beary' happy!"

"Teddie, do you have all the money and Shadow parts I gave you for safe keeping?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! I've kept them super safe."

"Good," he took out the duffel bag he had stuffed in his bag, and pushed it into the TV.

"I need you to put it all in that bag."

"Why, Sensei?"

"We can use the Shadow parts to make better weapons and armor."

"Oh, okay! Wait for just a moment."

A moment later, a now bulging duffel bag was pushed out the TV, and he hefted it up with some difficulty.

"I put the money in one pocket, and the Shadow parts in another."

"Thanks Teddie. That's very helpful."

"Well, I am one 'beary' helpful bear," Teddie said bashfully.

"I'm off. Be safe Teddie."

"I will Sensei."

He walked away from the TV, before encountering another problem. How was he going to explain entering Junes without anything, and leaving with a duffel bag?

* * *

He rang the bell, and waited for a moment. The clanging of metal stopped, and a moment later Diadara appeared at the counter.

"Ah, it's you again. Do you need something?"

Diadara glanced at the duffel bag.

"Or, do you have something to show me?"

He nodded, and dumped all the Shadow parts across the counter. Hablerie teeth, Bronze shards, Raven feathers, Cutlery, Purple Flowers, Beetle shells, Magus Robes, and a bunch of other things. Diadara casted an appraising eye over everything, before picking up the charred helm from the Avenger Knight.

"Interesting armor design," he mumbled, tracing the gash caused by Florence's scythe.

Then he glanced at something shinning in the mixture of parts and picked it up delicately. It was one of the feather's from Shadow Yukiko. Instead of being pure vermilion, it was now a shade of cherry blossom petal pink at the beginning, before becoming a deeper red at the edges. It sparkled with a warm light in the dark shop.

"This...I've never seen anything like this...Could make a great design for an ougi..."

"How much will all this fetch?"

Diadara looked at the pile, before crouching down behind the counter. When he stood back up, he had a large sack of money.

"That much?" he asked, taking the bag in surprise.

"The feathers alone would get you a lot. Do you need anything else?"

He nodded, and took out the broken imitation katana. Daidara looked at the broken katana, raising an eyebrow, before glancing at the helm.

"You need another weapon?" he asked, taking the hilt of the katana.

"Yes."

"Wait here."

Daidara returned with his new weapon. A stainless steel golf club. All he did was take the golf club calmly.

_Look. You have your first weapon back._ Pixie said cheekily.

He ignored her and gave Daidara the money for the club, before leaving the store with his newfound money.

"Come back tomorrow or so, and I should have a new armor worked out," Daidara called out. He nodded, and made a note to come back later in the week. He walked across the Shopping District, before stopping in front of the door only he could see. He took out the Velvet Key, and entered.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

* * *

"I see you are in need of our services," Igor said, grinning as always. "Allow me to explain. I can take preexisting Persona and fuse their powers to make new, stronger Personas. If you need an in-depth explanation in summoning, feel free to ask."

Margaret spoke up.

"I can register any Personas you want into the Persona Compendium. Inside, all the skills of the Persona will be registered as well. You are free to summon them as many times as you like. Registration, of course, is free."

Margaret looked at Marie, who was bust scribbling something down in a notepad.

"Marie?"

Marie looked up irrritatedley.

"What-?"

She stopped on seeing him, before hastily shoving the notepad in her handbag.

"Marie," Margaret repeated sternly,

"Explain your service"

"Yeah, yeah. I can register Skill cards you get during Persona shuffle times. Registering the card destroys it, but I can create as many copies as you want afterwards. You know, if you want to buy thirty Sukukaja's for whatever reason."

Margaret just frowned at Marie's lack of professionalism.

"Now then...I believe you are in need of fusion?" Igor said mysteriously.

_Ask him about fusion before you fuse anything._ Pixie suggested.

"I'd like to know more about Fusion."

Igor's grin widened, and both he and Pixie listened carefully to the lecture.

* * *

"So, now that you know more about Fusion, what do you want to fuse?"

He shook his head, mind still swimming from the info-dump, before concentrating.

"First...I need to register all my Personas."

Margaret opened her Compendium, and snapped her fingers. Multiple cards appeared from thin air, before flying into the Compendium.

"Next...I want to fuse Yomotsu-Shikome and Pixie."

Igor just lifted is hand, and Pixie and Yomotsu-Shikome's presence faded from his mind, cards appearing in front of Igor. Pixie turned to wave at him, and Igor waved his hand, the cards fusing together. The light faded, and in their place stood a small fae like being, just a little shorter than Pixie. She shook her head dizzily for a while, before seeing him and flying towards him smoothly.

_Hi! I'm Sylph._ Sylph, the spirit of air said happily.

He smiled, before turning to Margaret.

"I want to buy both Pixie and Yomotsu-Shikome."

Margaret raised an eyebrow, before taking the money required and opening her Compendium. Pixie appeared in a flash of light, and immediately flew towards him, looking at Sylph. Sylph looked back, before bopping her on the head. The two of them flew about playfully for a while, before sitting on both of his shoulders.

Yomotsu-Shikome appeared next, and for a moment he felt a familiar feeling of panic. Then Margaret grabbed the card and crushed it slightly, stopping the presence. Margaret looked at him curiously.

"You're going to fuse her, aren't you?"

"Yes. I wish to fuse...Yomotsu-Shikome and Sylph, before buying back Sylph."

Igor fused Sylph and Yomotsu-Shikome, and Sylph immediately appeared back on his shoulder, in exchange for more money.

The new Persona resembled bird with the head of a menacing lion. Everything except the lion's mane and eyes were a deep blue, the mane being a dried blood red and the eyes glowing green. The Persona let out a sound resembling a lion's roar and a bird's caw, and looked at Sylph and Pixie hungrily.

_I am Anzu, otherwise called Zu. I serve you for now._ Anzu, the tempest demon from Mesopotamia, said. Anzu disappeared, and Igor looked at him.

"Do you wish Fuse more Personas?"

He nodded.

"As a matter of fact..."

* * *

"Is there anything else you require?" Igor asked pleasantly.

He thought it might have been because he had used up most of the money he had just gotten.

"Can I do anything with skill cards?"

"Let me see," Marie said.

She opened a different notepad, before outstretching her hand.

"You have one card. Do you want to register it or not?".

He nodded, and Marie took the card that appeared from thin air. She took a blue pen, and looked at the notepad, before frowning. The frown quickly turned into a scowl.

"Marie? Why are you delaying?" Margaret asked.

"This card is fake or something." Marie said.

"Nonsense. You must be," Margaret took the card, "...Mistaken?"

Margaret joined Marie's frown, before Igor took it. Igor's eyes seemed to twinkle with delight as he looked at the card.

"Ah. And the fruits of your bonds had already appeared." Igor gave the card to Marie.

"This card needs a new section. Put it under Terra."

Marie frowned, before writing something down. The card dissolved.

"Alright. Do you want a Persona to learn...Terra?"

He nodded.

"Well, the only one who can learn it is Izanagi right now. You still want it?"

He nodded once more, and his wallet became even emptier as Izanagi suddenly learnt a new skill.

"Is there anything else you wish to do?" Igor asked.

He looked at Marie's still frowning face, before remembering her requests.

"Do you want to do something?" he asked her.

"'Something'?" she repeated frowning.

Margaret 'hemmed'.

"Actually...Marie, this would be a perfect time for you to explore the outside world. You have been unruly as of late, and I am of the opinion that you wish to leave, if only for a while."

"H-Huh? I'm not interested in leaving...Okay, maybe a little."

"You may leave this room...As long as our guest accompanies you. These are the terms."

Marie frowned, before looking at him.

"Do you want go outside?" he asked.

_Smooth_ Senri said with a giggle.

"...Sure. It stuffy in here, the Nose never says anything."

If Igor was annoyed at being called the 'Nose', he didn't show it.

"Sure. If we can leave right now, let's leave right now...Can we leave right now?"

"Sure."

Marie blinked in surprise.

"Really? You're agreeing that easily? If you keep this up, I'll have you wrapped around my finger...That's the saying right? I've been studying."

* * *

"Phew. I can finally breath now. It's stuff in that car."

Marie was stretching her hands above her head. They were currently walking around the Shopping District. Marie looked around, taking in all the sights, before sighing.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just...I feel weird. It's like...nostalgic, for the smell and all."

"Nostalgic?"

"Yeah, nostalgic. That's what I said. It just...feels that way."

Marie just looked at the sky, and she seemed...peaceful. Then she suddenly opened her eyes, nostrils flaring.

"What's that smell?"

He walked up to her, and looked at what she was staring at. A small shop called Souzai Daigaku.

"'Steak Skewers'?" Marie asked curiously.

He felt a sudden foreboding feeling about his wallet, and his fears were confirmed when Marie walked up to the counter.

"Hey, lady. I want one of those steak skewer things."

"Oh, hello. That'll be 320 yen please."

Marie looked at him, and he sighed, before paying for two steak skewers. If he had to buy it, might as well try it.

"You have money!?" Marie asked.

"...Yeah?"

"...That's awesome. You're awesome."

He took the two skewers, and made his way to the table with Marie. Marie took the skewer and looked at it interestedly.

"You have to pay to eat?" she asked.

He nodded, observing her. Her curiosity was almost childlike.

"Yo, Souji. Gettin' your steak on, huh?"

He turned to see Yosuke walking up to them.

"Yosuke. You finished for today?"

"Yup."

Yosuke then looked at Marie, who was currently poking the steak skewer.

"Uh...She's cute...What? What's going on here? Who's this!?"

Marie stopped her inspection of the steak and looked at Yosuke.

"Remember when I said I was meeting with someone today?" he reminded.

Yosuke made an 'oh' sound, before leaning in towards him.

"So...If you two, you know, aren't a thing, you think you can introduce me to her?"

Ah, Yosuke. Good luck with that.

"What're you two whispering about?" Yosuke immediately stood up straight.

"Nothing. So, you're my Partner's friend?"

Marie frowned.

"Friend...? I guess...I don't know."

Marie then looked at the two of them strangely.

"'Partner's'?"

"Yeah. We're partners," he said, taking a bite of the skewer, surprised at how good it was.

"Like close friends?"

Yosuke nodded.

"Heheh, that about sums it up. Er, what's your name?"

"Huh? Uh, Marie"

"Marie-chan, eh?" Yosuke said with a wink.

"So, you two are eating the steak-skewers?".

He nodded.

"Yup".

"I think I'll join you two".

Yosuke bought a skewer, and joined them.

* * *

"That was a bellyful. This place always has huge portions," Yosuke said with a content sigh, standing up. He hummed in agreement.

"So, Marie-chan? What did you think of the town's local specialty?"

So this was the local specialty? Marie cupped her chin, pondering.

"Well...It's really weird. It's tough, hard to bite into, and it got cold while I was still eating it."

Marie closed her eyes happily and pointed a finger at the sky.

"It was delicious."

"Uh, if you say so. For a second there, it sounded like you didn't like it."

Yosuke said.

"She's right though. It's pretty good," he said, nodding in agreement.

Yosuke looked at them strangely, before chuckling.

"Hey."

He and Yosuke looked at Marie, who was looking at them curiously.

"Why's it called steak?"

Yosuke blinked.

"Hmm?"

"Why's it called steak anyway? Is it short for something?"

He nodded.

"It is. It's short for Steaaaaaaaaak," he said knowledgably.

Marie blinked.

"...That's stupid. Might as well call it 'ake'."

Marie cupped her chin and nodded.

"Yup. That's what I'm going to do from now on."

"That isn't much better," Yosuke said, before turning to him, "And you! Don't tell her lies! She's believing it!"

He blinked.

"Lies? I'm not telling lies."

"Yes, you are."

"No. As far as I know, I'm not."

Yosuke hesitated at the certainty in his tone, and he went in for the kill.

"In fact, I agree with Marie. From now on, I'm going to call it 'ake'."

Yosuke just looked at him in confusion, and Marie interrupted them.

"You guys eat this every day? ...No fair."

He looked at Marie, who was pouting.

"Well, not every day"

"Still...I should've come earlier," she said with a frown.

"Tell you what. Next time we do this, we'll come back," he suggested.

Marie looked at him in surprise.

"Really?"

He nodded.

Yosuke just scratched his head, before jumping up.

"Oh, crap! I forgot my keys in my locker at Junes! See ya Souji! You too Marie-chan!"

With that, Yosuke ran off, and he watched his running speed thoughtfully.

"Your Partner is a funny person," Marie noted.

He nodded.

"Yeah...He is."

"Hmm. But he bought me meat. That makes him a good person. That is fact."

He nodded, smiling.

"That he is."

* * *

"Hmm...It's really green here."

After several moments of him taking his eyes off Marie and her running off, they ended up at the top of a hill overlooking Inaba. He nodded, looking at the town.

"It is."

Marie followed his gaze. The town was bathed in the glow of the sunset, and it looked...peaceful. Nothing like the city at all.

"Leaves of green fly away."

He glanced at Marie, who was looking at the sky in an almost trancelike state.

"Farewell to you, clouds of sky. I fly as well, lost as the day. Farewell to you, moon of the night."

He waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, he opened his mouth.

"That was pretty good."

And it was.

Marie whirled towards him, eyes wide.

"H-Huh? N-No! I-I-I wasn't making up a p-poem!"

He raised an eyebrow. He never said it was a poem.

"It's just some words that I was thinking! That's all! Yeah!"

He continued to look at her, still raising an eyebrow, and she looked away, blushing.

"...ShutupIhateyouyoustupidjerk! D-Don't snoop on me!"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry?" he offered.

Marie just scowled, but the scowl fell off her face on seeing the town, and the hills beyond it.

"It's pretty big..." she said.

He nodded, looking out at the town.

"I don't know why...but I felt good about this place. It reminds me of something."

Marie pursed her lips, before turning towards him.

"Are there any other places we can go? I want to see more."

"It's getting a bit late right now...But next time, we're definitely going to see the rest of town. I haven't even explored all of it."

Marie smiled.

"Really? That's great! I notice things when I'm around you".

He smiled, before turning around and walking back to the town, motioning to Marie to follow him.

"Marie?"

"Hmm?"

"About your question from earlier...I think we are friends."

Marie looked at him in surprise, and he smiled. Time stopped with the sound of glass, and a card appeared in front of him.

_Thou Art I...And I Am Thou...Thou Hast Established A New Bond...It Brings Thee Closer To The Truth...Thou Shalt Be Blessed When Creating Personas Of The Aeon Arcana_.

* * *

"I had a question to ask." Igor looked at him curiously.

"I was wondering why Crystal and Florence appeared in the Velvet Room when they entered this world".

Margaret looked at him in surprise, and Igor's grin grew wider.

"Ah...So you know about them. They appeared because they are tied to your journey. Those not born of man will be integral to your Journey".

He blinked. Those?

"Marie is also one of those not born of man," Margaret explained, "The reason I asked you to take her to see the outside world was because she does not know much about it. She is integral to your Journey. After all, you have met once before you met in this room."

Margaret cupped her chin and closed her eyes.

"One not born of man, and those not born of this world...Truly, your Journey is a mottled one."

He glanced at Marie, who looked at him with equal confusion. As always, Igor and Margaret were never forthcoming with advice or knowledge.

"As for your question," Igor said, "I do not know why they appeared here. This was the first place they entered this world through, but for what reasons I cannot say".

He pursed his lips. Well, it looked like Crystal and Florence's mystery wouldn't be solved do easily.

"Is there anything else you would like to ask?"

He shook his head.

"No. Good night Marie."

Marie looked at him in surprise.

"Good Night?"

* * *

He reached home to see Nanako alone, watching TV. He frowned and walked up to her.

"Oh. You're back."

Nanako said. He nodded, not sure what to say. Suddenly he felt guilty about yesterday.

"Nanako?"

"Yes?"

"I'm...Sorry about not coming home yesterday."

Nanako just tilted her head in confusion.

"Why? You were working on a project, right?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then it's okay." Nanako said, smiling. He shook his head, bemused, before going into the kitchen and putting the shopping bag down.

"What are you doing?" Nanako asked, before looking at the bag in shock.

"You went to Junes!?"

He smiled.

"Yeah. I thought I'd cook dinner to apologize."

He turned to look at her.

"Do you want to help?"

Nanako blinked, before nodding.

"O-Okay".

While they were preparing dinner, Nanako looked at him shyly.

"What's wrong?"

"I...What was Junes like?" He considered the question for a moment.

"Like any other store...It was a bit more welcoming though," he mused.

Nanako looked at him curiously.

"We could go there one day, if you want."

Nanako looked at him in shock.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. I have a friend there. We can go one day. It's a promise."

Nanako's look of shock slowly turned into a look of joy, and she let out a small cheer.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" she sang.

He smiled at her antics, and they continued with dinner preparations.

* * *

"I'm home-," Dojima stopped and stared at them in surprise. They were currently waiting at the table, dinner ready.

"Daddy!" Nanako said happily, hugging him.

Dojima smiled, before looking at him.

"I thought I'd make dinner."

Dojima nodded slowly, and Nanako sat down at the table. He walked up to Dojima, before bowing his head.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about the project yesterday."

Dojima stared at him, before sighing.

"It's fine. Nothing I can do about a school project. But in the future, I want you to tell me before you visit a friend."

He nodded.

"I will." Dojima nodded in acceptance, before looking at him curiously.

"So, a girl?"

"She's just a classmate. She's a transfer from the States."

Dojima looked at him for a moment, before nodding.

"I see..." He nodded, before gesturing to the table.

"Shall we eat?"

"Sure. I'm pretty hungry myself."

They all sat at the table, and enjoyed dinner together.

* * *

**?**

...

...

...

_Soon..._

* * *

'**And there you go. A piece of the explanation. If your still curious, well...Wait I guess?'**


End file.
